# Does Putin really have cancer? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [May 14, 2022, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-putin-really-have-cancer/964411 "2022-05-14T13:42:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2022, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-putin-really-have-cancer/964411/41 "2022-05-23T16:17:59Z")
New article\* on rumored assassination attempts: > **[Ukrainian intelligence chief: Putin survived assassination attempt 2 months ago](https://news.yahoo.com/ukrainian-intelligence-chief-putin-survived-assassination-attempt-two-months-ago-124633685.html)** > > The head of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin survived an assassination attempt two months ago. \*(I was going to say _fresh rumors_ but these don’t seem all that fresh, the coup we talked about last week is still “underway”) ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2022, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-putin-really-have-cancer/964411/42 "2022-05-23T16:21:43Z")
Actually, in some cases of leukemia, the spleen is removed to slow the disease’s progression. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2022, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-putin-really-have-cancer/964411/43 "2022-05-23T16:22:59Z")
One of my Facebook friends said that her husband told her that he would like to donate his GBM to Putrid, but then, he’d have to have a brain in the first place in order to accept it. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2022, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-putin-really-have-cancer/964411/44 "2022-05-25T19:54:01Z")
Also bone marrow transplants. ---
**Author:** ![Wallet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e99b99/32.png) [@Wallet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallet)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2022, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-putin-really-have-cancer/964411/45 "2022-05-29T04:46:20Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > [Burton J. Lee III - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burton_J._Lee_III) Off topic, just wanted to thank you for mentioning Dr. Lee. He was my mom’s doctor in the 70’s, but sadly couldn’t save her. Nice to read about him, and find out what a genuinely wonderful person he was. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2022, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-putin-really-have-cancer/964411/46 "2022-06-03T12:50:34Z")
I’ve just seen a clip on French TV news of Putin meeting the President of Senegal (about the damage the war is doing to food supplies to Africa). Putin seemed quite hale and hearty, shaking hands and sitting a normal distance apart. If he’s on his way out, he’s covering it well. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2022, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-putin-really-have-cancer/964411/47 "2022-06-03T13:24:16Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > If it’s not true, it’s intelligent propaganda on the part of the Ukrainians. I’d put my money on some combination of the CIA, SIS/MI6, and the DGSE, if I had to bet. A coordinated, targeted campaign to undermine Putin’s legitimacy and strongman image is exactly the sort of thing Western intelligence agencies would and could engage in on behalf of Ukraine without undue risk of outright war. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2022, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-putin-really-have-cancer/964411/48 "2022-06-03T17:04:18Z")
Depends who in Russia (a) hears about it and (b) believes it. But I suppose there might be some value in relation to the effect on public opinion in countries that aren’t already firmly on one side or the other. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2022, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-putin-really-have-cancer/964411/49 "2022-06-10T14:02:51Z")
> **[Vladimir Putin needed emergency medical help after falling ill during meeting](https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/world-news/vladimir-putin-needed-emergency-medical-27199888)** > > Kremlin sources report that the Russian leader has been warned to avoid "lengthy" public engagements after recently experiencing dizziness and nausea after a military meeting. > [Russia’s](https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/all-about/russia) leader has been advised by doctors to avoid making “lengthy” public appearances after a health scare during a speech, says a Kremlin advisor. > > [Vladamir Putin](https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/all-about/vladimir-putin) reportedly felt “a sharp sickness, weakness and dizziness’” while getting up from his desk following a recent video conference with advisers and military leaders, reports Telegram channel General SVR… > > “The President needed urgent medical assistance,” claimed the channel that says they have sources in the Russian government although the assertions are impossible to verify. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2022, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-putin-really-have-cancer/964411/50 "2022-06-10T15:26:53Z")
Occam’s razor says stress alone could cause those symptoms, and to be a national leader leading a war that isn’t going well has got to stress anybody out. So far nothing to confirm that the cancer rumors are anything but planted. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2022, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-putin-really-have-cancer/964411/51 "2022-06-10T15:31:10Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > So I wonder if, in the current circumstances, he would ever allow himself the vulnerability of being anesthetized for however many hours it would take to complete a hypothetical procedure. Well, then, I guess he’ll just have to bite the bullet and endure the procedure awake, like an old-time battlefield amputee. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2022, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-putin-really-have-cancer/964411/52 "2022-06-10T15:47:03Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > So far nothing to confirm that the cancer rumors are anything but planted. That’s why included the last sentence in the quote. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2022, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-putin-really-have-cancer/964411/53 "2022-06-10T23:48:54Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > [Vladimir Putin needed emergency medical help after falling ill during meeting - Scottish Daily Express](https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/world-news/vladimir-putin-needed-emergency-medical-27199888) The Daily Express is a tabloid. [https://images.app.goo.gl/nTUSDcAJX61JyavU7](https://images.app.goo.gl/nTUSDcAJX61JyavU7) The desire for news needs to be subservient to the necessity of getting honest news. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2022, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-putin-really-have-cancer/964411/54 "2022-06-11T03:38:16Z")
When Putin travels, he has a retinue of bodyguards detailed to collect his poop, which is packaged up and taken back to Mother Яussia. This is to prevent spies from gleaning intelligence about his health. There’s intelligence gold in them thar turds! > **[Putin's bodyguards collect his poop on trips abroad and take it back to...](https://news.yahoo.com/putins-bodyguards-collect-poop-trips-151934306.html)** > > President Vladimir Putin's excrement is taken back to Russia in special packets carried by his bodyguards, two investigative journalists said. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2022, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-putin-really-have-cancer/964411/55 "2022-06-11T03:56:34Z")
Great to see that the _Scottish Daily Express_ has the exclusive inside track on intra-Kremlin gossip but I think I’ll wait until it shows up on Reuters or _The Washington Post_ before calling the florist about sending flowers. Apropos of almost nothing: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/9kptp9SmM5Y/maxresdefault.jpg "All Things Scottish - Saturday Night Live") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kptp9SmM5Y) Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2022, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-putin-really-have-cancer/964411/56 "2022-06-11T05:14:25Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > When Putin travels, he has a retinue of bodyguards detailed to collect his poop, which is packaged up and taken back to Mother Яussia. > > This is to prevent spies from gleaning intelligence about his health. > > There’s intelligence gold in them thar turds! > > [Putin's bodyguards collect his poop on trips abroad and take it back to Russia with them, report says](https://news.yahoo.com/putins-bodyguards-collect-poop-trips-151934306.html) I’ve heard of catching shit from your boss, but this is ridiculous… ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2022, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-putin-really-have-cancer/964411/57 "2022-06-13T14:12:05Z")
Is that the poop, the whole poop, and nothing but the poop? ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2022, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-putin-really-have-cancer/964411/58 "2022-06-14T01:07:13Z")
Coming from Putin (as similarly with Trump), it’s the poop, the whole poop, plus plenty of poop in addition to the poop. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2022, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-putin-really-have-cancer/964411/59 "2022-06-14T23:32:14Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > When Putin travels, he has a retinue of bodyguards detailed to collect his poop, which is packaged up and taken back to Mother Яussia. Once upon a time, Stalin had his men inspect Chinese leader Mao’s shit for clues. So Putin likely picked up this lesson pretty early in his KGB training: you don’t let the enemy pick around in your poo. > **[Stalin 'used secret laboratory to analyse Mao's excrement'](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35427926.amp)** > > A former Soviet agent says he has found evidence that Joseph Stalin spied on Mao Zedong, among others, using stool samples. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2023, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-putin-really-have-cancer/964411/60 "2023-01-18T17:20:46Z")
Bump. > **[Putin has become 'dizzy and weak' and is spending more time alone, insiders say](https://metro.co.uk/2023/01/18/dizzy-putin-has-grown-more-isolated-in-recent-days-insiders-claim-18120951/)** > > Kremlin insiders say the Russian president has felt nasty side effects from his medication. > Rumours about the health of the Russian president have circulated ever since the invasion last February, with Parkinson’s disease and terminal [cancer](https://metro.co.uk/tag/cancer/?ico=auto_link_news_P2_LNK1) among his alleged ailments. > > According to sources claiming to have knowledge of Putin’s inner circle, his medical treatment has left him ‘dizzy and weak’ and he hardly has any visitors. > > Footage claiming to show symptoms of his Parkinson’s has not been independently verified, and the details of his health are a closely guarded secret. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-putin-really-have-cancer/964411.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-putin-really-have-cancer/964411.md?page=4)