Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, faced fresh scrutiny over his health after appearing with a swollen and visibly aged face during Moscow's Victory Day parade on May 9. The event marked the 81st anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany but was unusually subdued, featuring no armoured vehicles or ballistic missiles for the first time in nearly two decades.
Parade Focus Shifts to Putin's Appearance
While Putin delivered a speech portraying Russia's war in Ukraine as a 'just' fight against 'aggressive forces', many observers focused on his bulging cheeks. Ukrainian commentator Anton Gerashchenko shared an unflattering image on social media, quipping: 'It seems sanctions have even reached Putin's Botox.'
Monitoring group Crimean Wind noted that 'history shows that many dictators visibly aged before the fall of their regime or their death,' attributing the phenomenon to 'chronic stress, paranoid fear of losing power, and isolation, which accelerate the body's ageing.'
Longstanding Health Questions
Putin's health has been a topic of debate for years. In late 2025, observers spotted bulging veins and unusual fist-clenching during a handshake with Yekaterina Leshchinskaya, a health activist. Video footage showed the 73-year-old leader nervously moving his fingers and clenching his fist under his blazer sleeve, prompting Ukrainian sources to suggest he might be in pain.
Putin critic Leonid Nevzlin interpreted the scaled-down parade as symbolic of the president's waning power. 'The regime is structured so that the question of its future has turned into the question of one old man's health,' he said, adding that change is only possible 'about a cardiogram, about the appearance of decrepit hands.'
Analysts Predict End of an Era
Ukrainian analyst Ivan Yakovina speculated that 'this parade will be his last.' Former oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky accused Putin of hijacking the Soviet victory for propaganda, calling the event 'a personal 'special operation' of one deeply frightened, ageing dictator.'
Commentator Alexey Kopytko noted a lack of enthusiasm among Putin's entourage, saying 'never before have security operatives hovered around Putin so closely,' suggesting the leader is 'fearful and paranoid.' The parade came as Russia suffered heavy losses in Ukraine, with 7,480 personnel killed, wounded, or captured in the first week of May—one loss every 80 seconds.
