Overview

• Multiple outlets reported that during the Aug. 15 meeting in Alaska, Putin’s security detail carried a dedicated briefcase to collect and return his fecal waste to Russia.
• The account is traced to journalists Régis Gente and Mikhail Rubin in Paris Match and was widely relayed by The Express US, with no official confirmation from the Kremlin.
• Reports describe Federal Protective Service agents sealing biological waste in special pouches and placing it in a secure briefcase, with private bathrooms or a portable toilet used to avoid leaving samples.
• The practice has been reported on previous trips, including France in 2017 and Saudi Arabia in 2019, and some sources claim it has been in place since 1999.
• Coverage revived speculation about Putin’s health and drew broad online reaction, even as the Kremlin has previously dismissed specific health-related rumors.