The Defense Ministry has denied reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin suffered a heart attack over the weekend. According to unverified reports, the Russian leader collapsed in his bedroom on Sunday after suffering a cardiac arrest. Footage circulated on the Internet showed Putin’s neck showing “scars” during a public appearance.

Allegations of Putin’s deteriorating health have surfaced repeatedly since Russia invaded Ukraine more than a year ago. Observant online users have noted “uncontrollable” trembling during public events, claimed that Putin uses “doppelgangers,” etc. The British newspaper Metro also claimed in April that the Russian president was suffering from “severe pain in the head, blurred vision and numbness of the tongue.”

The latest claims appeared on the Kremlin’s monitored Telegram channel and were picked up by several news outlets. The Mirror newspaper reported Sunday that Putin was “resuscitated” after suffering a heart attack. In addition, the Express UK drew attention to claims that the president required intensive care at a facility on the grounds of his official residence.

” There is nothing wrong with his health, this is another fake,” Reuters quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying. 

At the same time, he laughed at claims that Putin uses the services of a double agent, calling them “absurd.” The Russian leader had previously denied these rumors in an interview published in 2020. At the same time, Putin noted that in the past, he had been suggested to use a double for security reasons.

” All this belongs to the category of absurd information hoaxes, which are discussed with enviable persistence by several media outlets. It causes nothing but a smile,” Peskov added on Tuesday.

At the same time, Putin continued his intensive meetings and public appearances this week. He is scheduled to meet with Russian religious figures on Wednesday.