The pictures showing the scars were taken on Sunday, April 16, during an Orthodox Easter service in Moscow. They caught the president holding a candle, a slightly tired look on his face. And many also noticed a strange line on his neck.

According to some, this is living proof that last year’s claim by Russian investigative website Proekt that Putin had thyroid cancer was true. He also stated that the dictator was constantly accompanied by Yevgeny Selivanov – a surgeon from the Moscow Central Clinical Hospital specializing in such diseases.

British tabloid The Sun recalls that plastic surgeon Amjad Al-Yousef admitted in the past that scars can appear after intubation related to cancer treatment. “Theoretically, such scars could remain. However, in most cases, the skin heals without consequences,” he adds.

However, he did not deny the speculation, but he did not confirm it either. In the same way, skin can only wrinkle with aging. He also pointed out that Putin has an unnaturally smooth face after plastic surgery, so his neck, which is more wrinkled in comparison, attracts more attention.

“When we see a perfectly groomed face, we often pay attention to her neck. There is no such procedure for her,” says Al-Yousef.

There has been a long debate about the health of the Russian president since the start of the war. For example, in January this year, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, said that Putin was allegedly seriously ill and that he might die soon.