Moscow: Vladimir Putin is showing symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease and may step down as Russian President early next year, according to media reports.
Analysts, after going through recent footages of Putin, observed that he appears to be in pain, with his legs moving constantly and fingers twitching, the Hindustan Times reported.
“There is a family, it has a great influence on him. He intends to make public his handover plans in January,” Moscow political scientist Professor Valery Solovei has told The Sun.
According to those close to the family, Alina Kabaeva – who is rumoured to be Putin’s long-time lover — and his two daughters Maria Vorontsova and Katerina Tikhonova are urging the president to step down and take care of his health.
Putin has been at the helm for over two decades and is due to be in power till 2024. Recently, he proposed constitutional reforms which could keep him in power until 2036.