Overview
- Footage from a Nov. 6 appearance in Samara shows Vladimir Putin with a clenched right hand and prominent veins, recorded during a meeting on a proposed vape ban with activist Yekaterina Leshchinskaya.
- The clip spread widely on social platforms and regional outlets, with posts by NEXTA and Ukrainian figures Anton Gerashchenko and Dmytro Gordon drawing attention to the hand’s appearance.
- The Kremlin’s website confirms the Samara event took place on Nov. 6, but officials have not provided clinical information tied to the video.
- Russian officials have repeatedly rejected claims that Putin is seriously ill, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov previously labeling such reports as hoaxes.
- Some medical commentary cited in coverage notes that bulging hand veins can be age-related or cosmetic, and experts caution that diagnoses cannot be made from images alone.