Vladimir Putin’s absence fuels rumours of ‘Noah’s Ark’ escape plot
With the Ukraine war turning into a disaster for Russia, Putin is keeping out of the public eye, fuelling rumours about his health and reports he could be planning to flee to South America.
With his war in Ukraine turning into a disaster for Russia, President Putin is doing his best to keep out of the public eye, fuelling rumours about his health and state of mind and reports that he could be planning to flee to South America.
Yesterday the Kremlin announced that Putin would not take to the ice in Red Square for his traditional ice-hockey match with a select group of allies and bodyguards.
Over the past few days, Putin’s annual press conference has been cancelled, as has his yearly “conversation with the people” – a Q&A session that can last for more than four hours. Both events, which are broadcast live by state television, are vital elements of the Kremlin’s portrayal of Putin as an all-powerful, father-of-the-nation figure.
More significantly, Putin appears to be planning to skip his annual state of the nation address to the lower and upper houses of parliament. The president is obliged to report in person to parliament once a year, according to the constitution, which was rewritten two years ago by the Kremlin to allow Putin to stay in power until 2036, when he will be 83.
However, with time running out, the Kremlin says it is possible that the event could be postponed until next year. Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesman, has not explained the reasons behind the cancellations.
“This all looks somewhat suspicious,” Yekaterina Schulmann, a Russian political scientist, said. “[These events] are all necessary for a sense of stability. People are already in a desperate state of mind.”
Putin’s advisers are believed to have been concerned that he would face awkward questions about the war at the Q&A. A failure to give his address before the end of the month would be a sign, Schulmann said, that “the wheels aren’t going round like they ought to”. And a failure to appear on New Year’s Eve, when the president traditionally greets his people in a televised speech, would be unthinkable, she added.
Putin, 70, has been visited by a cancer specialist 35 times in four years, according to a report by The Project, an opposition website that has been banned by the Kremlin. It said in April that Putin was treated by several doctors, including an oncology surgeon who specialised in thyroid cancer.
In July, Putin was seen hobbling from a plane during a visit to Iran and appeared to be avoiding putting weight on his right leg. The average life expectancy for a man in Russia is 66, according to state statistics. However, unlike most Russians, Putin has access to the highest quality healthcare.
The failures of the Russian army in Ukraine have prompted the Kremlin to start preparing safe havens for Putin in case Russia suffers a humiliating defeat and is forced to flee the country, his former speechwriter has said.
Abbas Gallyamov, a political analyst, cited a Kremlin source who said that Putin would escape to Argentina or Venezuela if there was a serious threat that he could be toppled. The plan is believed to be codenamed “Noah’s Ark”.
“[Putin’s] entourage has not ruled out that he will lose the war, be stripped of power, and have to urgently evacuate somewhere,” he wrote on Telegram.
Igor Sechin, the head of Rosneft, a state oil company, is said to be overseeing the arrangements for a possible escape to Venezuela. He is one of Putin’s closest allies and is thought to have a close relationship with President Maduro. Little is known of the alleged plan to evacuate Putin to Argentina, if his regime collapses.
Putin’s inner circle had initially considered China as a refuge but decided against it because Beijing despises “losers”, Gallyamov wrote.
Mark Galeotti, a British expert on the Kremlin, questioned how Gallyamov, who lives in Israel, would have been able to gain access to top secret information. “[But] these things do happen. Stuff does leak,” he said on his In Moscow’s Shadows podcast.
Pro-Kremlin media have suggested that Putin is too busy with the war to answer questions from journalists or the public. He was last seen in public last Friday in Kyrgyzstan. Holding a glass of champagne and appearing tipsy, he confused Donetsk, in eastern Ukraine, with Crimea.
The Times
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