Ukraine

Is the Ukraine Invasion Putin’s Swan Song?

The swan song is a metaphorical phrase for a final gesture, effort, or performance given just before death or retirement. There have been recent questions about Putin’s health, so, what’s up, Doc?

A motivation for mayhem and murder?

Is Putin on the way out, is his body and/or brain giving up on him?

Wanting a legacy of Ukraine defeated and absorbed into Mother Russia as his gift to eternity, is he contemplating his own approaching death?

Did he think that a quick win in Ukraine would be a fitting epitaph for his gravestone?

Well, whatever his motivation, win or lose in Ukraine, it’s now inevitable that history will mark him down as a tyrant and mass mass murderer. His score will never be of the same order as Joe Stalin (thank Deity) — estimated at 20 million excluding war deaths— or Hitler, Mao or Pol Pot.

Parkinson’s disease?

Just this week (ending 24 April 2022) the Kremlin issued a video of him ordering that Mariupol be sealed off so that ‘not even a fly can escape’.

He congratulated defence minister Sergei Shoigu for taking control of the city of Mariupol, despite fighters continuing to hold out against a weeks-long Russian onslaught which has left much of the city destroyed.

The Ukraine defenders at the Azovstal steelworks have made his army look incompetent and are tying up a disproportionate number of Russian troops that he needs for the Dombas invasion.

Commentators have remarked that in the video Putin’s face looks puffed, his right hand clenches the table corner tightly and his right foot taps seemingly uncontrollably.

Parkinson’s Disease has been suggested as a possible cause for the rigid hand (controlling tremors), but the foot tapping is not hidden.

It’s puzzling, because if he really did have Parkinson’s Disease would he not be seated behind a desk or have a modesty panel to hide his feet.

Body-language experts tell us that foot tapping is almost always a sign of impatience. Maybe the foot arrangement was staged. But if so, what was the point?

Thyroid problems

There was a report that for some time that Putin has been suffering from thyroid problems and has been accompanied or visited on numerous occasions by Yevgeny Selivanov, a thyroid cancer surgeon when travelling.

“We can affirm that by his current presidential term, the Russian leader is not in good health,” Badanin said.

According to Proekt’s investigation, a group of presidential hospital doctors, nurses and senior executives “may have performed surgery” on Putin in November 2016. At least two members of this group were later reportedly awarded and promoted.

Proekt reported that a “reinforced group” of presidential hospital neurosurgeons and other staff joined Putin to treat “a likely relapse of his trauma” in late November 2019. — Proekt Media

The video of him halting the Mariupol attack shows a puffy face and this could be indicative of thyroid cancer.

Health fears

We do know that Putin was seriously worried about catching Covid which led to the ridiculous table when meeting President Macron of France.

Given Putin’s KGB background and history of ordering killings using exotic substances such as the radioactive isotope Polonium-210 and the nerve agent Novichok, it’s hardly surprising if he’s worried about sharing tea from his samovar with a foreigner.

I’ll bet he’s an obsessive hand-washer too.

So what’s true?

Of course we don’t know how much of this is disinformation, or indeed, how much of this is disinformation:

Is that a vertical scar on his left side? I zoomed in on the photo and couldn’t really tell. I’m not a medical man, but real men always have scars, don’t they?

Then why release a video that raises health questions?

Maybe he is ill, or maybe he’s not ill, but if his enemies think he has health problems — especially Parkinson’s — then they may think that there is a risk of him acting unpredictably or irrationally.

That may lead them to be more cautious and circumspect in their own actions and responses.

That could work to his advantage.

But is that too deep a game strategy?

Does he look healthy to you?

About me: If you follow me I guarantee variety in your inbox! I write on a wide range of topics including humor, tech and travel, together with daily news events and the minutiae of my daily life living on a boat. I also write techno-thrillers…and about…

…health matters of global consequence

If you appreciate reading stories like these and want to support other writers and me, consider signing up to become a Medium member. It’s only $5 a month, giving you unlimited access to incredible stories on Medium. If you sign up using my link below, I’ll earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

And you could even start writing yourself!