Putin forced to hold down shaking leg in Tucker Carlson interview

Russian President Vladimir Putin in an interview with Tucker Carlson (Image: TuckerCarlson/X)

Russian president Vladimir Putin was seen using his hand to stop his leg from shaking in footage that has set off fresh speculation about his health. Putin’s two-hour interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson was released on Thursday and immediately gained traction for a brief moment in which the Russian president was seen trying to control his shaking leg.

The 71-year-old was also filmed coughing and gripping his chair frequently during the bombshell interview, in which he blamed Boris Johnson for the Ukraine war and said that World War III would “bring all humanity to brink of destruction.”

Putin had to touch his leg to calm it down to stop it from moving. pic.twitter.com/k0xZzA0pEd

Story continues below Advertisement

Remove Ad

— Kayke (@Kayke777) February 9, 2024

Even before the Tucker Carlson interview, concerns were raised about Putin’s health when he was seen making odd grimaces during a meeting with his Belarusian counterpart Lukashenko on January 28. According to UK’s Metro, Putin’s habit of controlling his leg stretches as far back as September 2022, when the limb reportedly started twitching in front of schoolchildren in Kaliningrad.

In July 2022, Putin was also spotted walking with a discernible limp and favouring his left leg. That same year, an unnamed officer of USA’s Defense Intelligence Agency, while speaking to Newsweek, said that Putin’s declining health could be a good thing for the world at large.

“A weakened Putin—an obviously declining leader, not one at the top of his game—has less influence over his advisors and subordinates, say, if he orders the use of nukes,” the DIA leader said.