March 8, 2026, 1:34 p.mMarch 8, 2026, 1:34 p.m
To the astonishment of many Russians, the Kremlin, which otherwise strives to create a flawless image of President Vladimir Putin, released a video sequence in which the head of state coughs and clears his throat. The clip, recorded for International Women’s Day, was deleted after a short time by the Kremlin and state media and replaced with a new version, as the newspaper Novaya Gazeta Europa reported in exile. Commentators were surprised that something like this would happen to the Kremlin.
This video caused a stir:
Video: Watson
War bloggers close to the Kremlin asked in comments whether it could be a deliberate indiscretion, sabotage or some kind of uprising against an aging Putin. The 73-year-old has been in power for more than a quarter of a century. On the other hand, the Kremlin-affiliated reporter Dmitri Smirnov said in his Telegram channel that it could be a technical glitch. He also published part of the clip himself.
“Putin definitely shows perfectionism and the desire to achieve maximum results,” said Smirnov, referring to the president’s new attempt to improve a second version of the congratulations on Women’s Day. In the first long version of a good six minutes published by the Kremlin, both recordings can be seen – interrupted by Putin coughing.
Vladimir Putin during his speech on March 8th.Image: keystone
Putin: “I talked a lot today”
In particular, the approximately 30-second sequence of Putin coughing was shared on Telegram channels – some with hundreds of thousands of subscribers. The Kremlin chief asked to repeat the recording. “I had a frog in my throat and almost had to cough. “I talked a lot today,” he explained.
In his greeting, he particularly thanked the women who were deployed “under extremely difficult conditions” in the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. “Everywhere you show courage, bravery, dedication and fortitude,” he said.
Putin always coughs during public appearances and speeches. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov repeatedly rejected speculation circulating in the West about Putin’s alleged illnesses. The president is healthy, he emphasized several times. Peskov sometimes explained Putin’s coughing and throat clearing as the effect of air conditioning. In contrast, commentators, particularly in Ukraine, made fun of the clip’s mishaps; It was said, among other things, that the Kremlin itself had now shown the image of a “sick old man”. (dab/sda/dpa)