Speculation has been rampant about the health of Vladimir Putin since the Russian president sent troops into Ukraine in February, with reports saying he is suffering from ailments ranging from Parkinson's disease to several types of cancer.

A post Tuesday on the Telegram account of General SVR, which the New York Post reported is run by a former Russian intelligence officer, said Putin "has become withdrawn, laconic, practically does not receive anyone and, in general, looks deeply concerned in recent days."

"Putin is undergoing therapy with the use of drugs that, in addition to the therapeutic effect, cause weakness, dizziness, lack of appetite, which does not have the best effect on the president's psycho-emotional state," General SVR said.

In a post Monday, General SVR claimed that during a trip Friday in which Putin was seen attending the funeral of Murtaza Rakhimov, president of the oil-rich Russian Republic of Bashkortostan, a body double was used. The British newspaper The Daily Express reported the event in Ufa was "unusually staged" and that "Russian officials cleared the room of grieving relatives and armed guards" before Putin's appearance.

"The understudy did a good job of playing Putin's sad look and, laying flowers, said goodbye to the deceased, the full information about which he had studied just the day before," General SVR posted. "Putin was least worried about the understudy when he met with the head of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Radiy Khabirov.

"The double has experience of meetings as the president of Russia with the heads of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, and all of them passed without problems."

General SVR said Putin was most worried about the body double encountering a television group before boarding an airplane back to Moscow, adding that officials were ready to step in with a prerecorded message from Putin.

"But everything went well. The president's understudy, albeit with hesitation and with some nuances unusual for the president, conducted a pretty good broadcast," General SVR posted. "I must say that the film crew was no less fooled than the viewer, taking with reverence the understudy for the president."

General SVR concluded the post by saying the body double will be used more as "the President's health tends to worsen."

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