Moscow's Parade

Putin health fears as despot mocked over 'haggard' Victory Day appearance

The Russian leader was branded a 'deeply frightened, aging dictator' and mocked over his tired and aged appearance at the Victory Day parade in Moscow

Vladimir Putin is facing a torrent of ridicule over his haggard and hollow appearance as concerns about the Russian dictator's health continue to mount.

Reportedly terrified of a coup or assassination at the hands of Ukraine, the despot was labelled a "deeply frightened, aging dictator" by Russian adversary Mikhail Khodorkovsky following his Victory Day appearance in Moscow.

Ukrainian commentator Anton Gerashchenko drew attention to an unflattering photograph of the 73-year-old former spy and his swollen cheeks, writing: "The face of a 'victor' and the leader of a 'superpower'. It seems sanctions have even reached Putin's Botox".

Observers noted a lopsided, pillow-like face, lumpy filler, mismatched cheeks, and a melting wax face. Monitoring group Crimean Wind stated: "History shows that many dictators visibly aged before the fall of their regime or their death. Scientists link this to chronic stress, paranoid fear of losing power, and isolation, which accelerate the body's aging."

Putin opponent Leonid Nevzlin viewed the "shrinking" parade — which featured no military hardware for the first time in almost two decades — as a telling symbol of Putin's loosening grip on power.