Kremlin Declines to Comment On Putin’s Absence

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on a report from the independent news outlet Dozhd on Sunday that said Russian President Vladimir Putin had not been in Moscow for the last several days.

Putin, who has not been seen in public or on live broadcasts for more than a week, postponed a meeting with Kazakh and Belarussian leaders last week.

Sources told Dozhd that the president was at his residence on Lake Valdai in Novgorod province. Peskov declined to comment when contacted by Dozhd.

A Kazakh government official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Reuters that Putin may have canceled the summit with the Belarussian and Kazakh leaders because of illness. Speaking to Reuters on Thursday, however, Peskov gave assurances that the 62-year-old president was in good health.

Putin’s silence in the past week has fueled feverish speculation on everything from the state of his health to his grip on power.

The Kremlin has denied the rumors.

Putin has a scheduled meeting with Kyrgyzstan President Almazbek Atambayev in St Petersburg on Monday, the Kremlin said in a statement on Friday.

This article appeared in print on page 2 of the March 16th, 2015 edition of Hamodia.