Vladimir Putin was spotted struggling to speak as he became embroiled in a coughing fit while trying to deliver an address from the Kremlin.
The address, which was intended to mark International Women’s Day, was interrupted after the Russian President began repeatedly coughing for around 30 seconds while pointing to his neck.
The video was accidentally published on the Kremlin’s official Telegram account, before being deleted just minutes later.
Rumours have swirled as to how the Russian leader’s team made the gaffe, with Ukrainian journalist Denys Kazansky speculating it may have been posted “on purpose because everyone is fed up with this ailing, senile old man”.
Meanwhile, pro-Kremlin Telegram blogger, Lev Vershinin, suggested it may have been part of a plot to undermine his leadership.
A polished version with the coughing fit edited out was later uploaded around 20 minutes later, with only half the footage from the original clip shown.
WATCH THE CLIP ABOVE FOR MORE
