Putin’s brutal pre-invasion regimen as speculation mounts over leader’s health

Moscow was forced today to deny reports that Vladimir Putin had suffered a heart attack, and was treated in intensive care.

Footage later emerged of him speaking at a public event with a scar on his neck that that some analysts suggested might be the result of “resuscitation” procedures.

The reclusive Russian leader has made great efforts to emphasize his fitness and vitality over the years, with various choreographed clips showing him riding horseback bare-chested, playing ice hockey and showing off his judo skills.

But ever since Russia’s surprise invasion of Ukraine in February last year, rumors have swirled that Putin’s health is failing, with reports that he had been receiving treatment for advanced cancer.

Public sightings of Putin are pretty scarce these days, so little is known about his current day-to-day life, but in the years leading up to the conflict, Putin was believed to have been hot on healthy eating and plenty of exercise.

He was said to sleep until mid-morning, before breakfast at about noon to prepare him for a hefty workout schedule.

In his 2013 profile of the president, “Fragile Empire: How Russia Fell in and Out of Love with Vladimir Putin”, author Ben Judah said he normally started the day with a sizeable omelette or bowl of porridge, with a side helping of cottage cheese and quail eggs.

Author Steven Lee Myers claims Putin then drank a fresh juice containing organic beetroot and horseradish, sourced from the farmland estates of the Patriarch Kirill, the country’s religious leader.

A coffee followed before Putin took a two-hour swim, which author Judah claimed was where the ex-KGB officer got “much of Russia’s thinking done”.

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He concluded his workout by lifting weights, while watching rolling news coverage.

According to Myers, Putin is mostly alone during this time. “His closest companion seemed to be his black Labrador, Koni, who waited poolside as he completed his laps,” he wrote.

In the early afternoon, Putin reportedly received daily briefings, including international and Russian news.

Though Putin started his day quite late in comparison to most global leaders, he is said to have worked late into the early hours.

And at weekends, Putin would read extensively, and apparently try to play ice hockey as possible.

During overseas trips, everything he used would be replaced over security fears, including bedsheets and toiletries.

Putin is known to only accept food that has been tested for poison, and according to Politico avoids alcohol.

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