Overview
- The 73-year-old said he underwent a hospital evaluation over two days, stayed overnight, and was discharged the next day with no issues.
- He made the comments at an exhibition in Moscow, according to Russian media accounts carried by wire services.
- The Kremlin has long emphasized his physical vigor through choreographed images such as wilderness outings, dives, and cockpit photos.
- Speculation about poor health or the use of a body double has flared during absences, which officials in Moscow consistently deny.
- Questions about his fitness remain politically consequential given his role directing a war that began more than three and a half years ago.