Does Vladimir Putin have thyroid cancer?

• Russian president Vladimir Putin is rumoured to have thyroid cancer or Parkinson's disease.
• Investigation by banned Russian media outlet shows thyroid cancer expert visited Putin at least 35 times.
• Putin has disappeared from situations due to medical conditions no less than five times.

Recent investigations have revealed that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is frequently accompanied by a doctor who specialises in thyroid cancer, The Sun reported.

Previously, there had been rumours regarding Putin's health due to his changed appearance where he looked "bloated" and "weak".

Proekt Media, which is an independent Russian media outlet and is banned in the country, carried out this investigation. 

They said that surgeon Yevgeny Selivanov of Moscow's Central Clinical Hospital flew to Putin at least 35 times.

Selivanov deals mainly with thyroid cancer.

There had been rumours that Putin was unwell when he declared war on Ukraine.

Political analyst Valery Solovei said that some sources claimed that the Russian president underwent surgery for abdominal cancer.

Many believe that it might also be Parkinson’s disease with Putin’s fingers constantly twitching and his cough fits.

Another surgeon Dr Alexey Shcheglov "follows Putin so relentlessly that during public events he allegedly gets into joint photographs with the head of state,” The Sun reported. He too is seen as a doctor who identifies thyroid problems.

The Sun says that the intelligence sources have suggested conclusions regarding the president’s bloated face. Their report noted that Putin vanished at least five times due to medical conditions.

“The president was regularly accompanied to Sochi by an average of five doctors,” the report quoted by The Sun stated.