Overview
- Footage from a Nov. 6 meeting in Samara shows Vladimir Putin standing with his hands clenched and a handshake revealing thin skin and bulging veins during an exchange with activist Yekaterina Leshchinskaya.
- NEXTA and other social accounts circulated the clip, as Ukrainian figures Anton Gerashchenko and Dmytro Gordon described the hands as swollen, sore and potentially painful.
- Major outlets reported the reactions, noting there is no independent medical assessment of Putin’s condition and that the Kremlin has not addressed this specific clip beyond prior blanket denials.
- The episode follows earlier visuals that fueled similar theories, including a 2022 table‑grip video, reported leg twitching, alleged IV marks and recurring observations about facial puffiness.
- Some commentary points to plausible non‑medical explanations such as normal aging or cosmetic procedures, underscoring the limits of diagnosing from short, curated videos.