Russian President Vladimir Putin rumoured to have undergone new surgery amid health woes: Report

Russian President Vladimir Putin has recently undergone surgery to remove fluid from his abdomen amid mounting speculation that his health is in decline, Express reported on Wednesday.

The operation "went well and without complications", the report further said, attributing the information to Telegram channel General SVR which purports to be run by a former Russian spy.

The report mentioned that Putin underwent the surgery from Thursday night to Friday morning and added that it was not linked to cancer.

Mr Putin missed a scheduled meeting with government officials due to the surgery. Instead, a pre-recorded video message of the President was played at the meeting, the Express report said.

The media outlet also published a translated sentence from the Telegram message in which the officials informed, "PLEASE NOTE that this surgical procedure is not a surgical operation that is recommended to the President and which is yet to take place."

The channel claimed last week that the Russian president had prerecorded footage in an attempt to cover up future surgeries and was planning on using body doubles if need be.

Speculation around Mr. Putin's ill health has been doing the rounds for the past few weeks as the war in Ukraine rages, with a former British spy claiming it is an "element" of what is happening in Ukraine.

Further, an oligarch with close ties to the Russian leader has reportedly been recorded as saying "Putin is very ill with blood cancer".

In a recording obtained by the US magazine New Lines, the unnamed oligarch was heard discussing Mr. Putin's health with a Western venture capitalist.

The news around the Russian President's health gained prominence after the leader appeared frail at public events including the Victory Day celebrations earlier this month. In the photos and videos which went viral on social media, Mr Putin was seen with a thick green cover draped over his legs as he sat among Second World War veterans and senior dignitaries to watch a military parade in Moscow's Red Square.