A new investigation by the Proekt Foundation said that “a thyroid cancer doctor visited Putin 35 times over the past four years.”
The investigation stated that “Yevgeny Silivanov, an oncologist specializing in thyroid cancer, visited Putin at his residence in the Black Sea city of Sochi 35 times and spent regarding 166 days with him.”
Also, two ear, nose and throat specialists, Igor Iskov and Alexei Shigelov, visited the Russian president frequently.
Alexei Shigelov traveled to see Putin 59 times and spent a total of 282 days with him between 2016 and 2020, according to the report.
The foundation quoted a doctor, who did not reveal his identity, as saying that “thyroid diseases, including cancer, are usually diagnosed for the first time by an ear, nose and throat specialist, following which the oncologist and surgeon participate in the treatment.”
According to Business Insider, the investigative organization was able to identify the doctors who spent time with Putin by examining hotel accommodation bills posted on the government procurement website.
The report said, “The dates during which doctors stayed in Sochi hotels coincided with Putin’s official visits to the city or periods when he mysteriously disappeared from the public eye.”
The report indicated that “the average number of medical personnel in Putin’s entourage increased from five in 2016 and 2017 to nine in 2019”.
Members of Putin’s medical team also included anesthesiologists, a neurosurgeon, an infectious disease specialist and an intensive care physician.
The report also spoke, “Putin also relied on alternative medicine methods by bathing in the blood extracted from deer antlers.”
The report added, “Putin followed the alternative treatment on the recommendation of his Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, as it is believed that deer blood improves the cardiovascular system and rejuvenates the skin.”
The site says, “The process of extracting blood from deer antlers is done by cutting them while the animal is still alive, in a process that animal rights activists say is similar to the process of pulling out someone’s nails.”
Putin was not seen in public in September 2021, when it is widely believed in the medical community that he underwent a complex operation related to a thyroid disease, according to the investigative report.
Putin then appeared with a noticeably swollen face, prompting rumors that he was taking steroids often used to treat thyroid cancer.
The Kremlin had previously refused to answer questions regarding Putin’s health, and a government spokesman insisted in 2020 that his health was “excellent”.
