Vladimir Putin suffered a coughing fit as he experienced chest pains while recording a rare TV broadcast announcing Russia's expansion of its invasion in Ukraine through partial mobilisation, a report in Mirror claimed.
Doctors were called which resulted in delaying the address by 13 hours, the report added, saying that Kremlin officials disagreed with Putin's decision which is being seen as an escalation of Moscow's efforts amid its faltering invasion.
Quoting, General SVR Telegram channel- apparently run by a former Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) lieutenant general- the report claimed, “Several attempts to start recording an appeal were frustrated due to coughing."
“Shutting himself down to write the text of the appeal, Putin lingered by the time the recording began. When the president came out and preparations for filming began, he began to cough frequently. After the fourth unsuccessful attempt to record an appeal, doctors were called to the president, to whom Putin also complained of chest pains,” the channel said.
In the biggest escalation of the Ukraine war since February, Putin said a plan to annex a chunk of territory from Ukraine the size of Hungary has been approved, calling up 300,000 reservists.
{{/usCountry}}In the biggest escalation of the Ukraine war since February, Putin said a plan to annex a chunk of territory from Ukraine the size of Hungary has been approved, calling up 300,000 reservists.
{{/usCountry}}"If the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, we will without doubt use all available means to protect Russia and our people - this is not a bluff," Putin said in a televised address.