VLADIMIR PUTIN could be "faking" an illness for his own "sinister gain", according to a medical professional.

Since his February 24 invasion of Ukraine got underway, the 69-year-old Russian president’s deteriorating health has been a subject of frenzied speculation. His fidgety behaviour at televised events and seemingly bloated face have been scrutinised by commentators. As well as footage showing Putin's somewhat strange behaviour, there is a growing chorus of those close to him who have spoken out about his ill health.

Recently, an FSB officer warned that Putin has "no more than two to three years" left after claims he is reportedly suffering from a "severe form of rapidly progressing cancer".

Meanwhile, a Russian oligarch with close ties to the president was recorded speaking about Putin last month, saying he is "very ill with blood cancer".The news comes amid a deluge of reports about the president's ailing health.

Video footage of his meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko also showed him making odd movements with his feet while the pair sat down for talks, causing some to suspect he has Parkinson's.

Putin's extreme paranoia has also hit headlines over his notorious self-isolation amid the coronavirus pandemic when he conducted meetings with foreign visitors at medieval banquet-length tables.

The Russian despot's face has also been described as puffy and bloated in recent times, with Ashley Grossman - an endocrinology expert at Oxford University - speculating this could have been caused by steroid use to potentially treat cancer.

However, the reports of the leader's ill health have been brought into question as a potential "spoof" designed to make an erratic and paranoid dictator look vulnerable.

Medical expert Dr Bharat told Express.co.uk: "Even if he [Putin] just doesn't move one of his arms properly, people say he has Parkinson's.

"That's not true at all because he doesn't show the collective signs of Parkinson's.

"I will accept he has a round face indicative of something or maybe nothing. But his behaviour could be deliberately done to spoof people for something more sinister.

"It could all be put on, who knows. These are the dark arts that we are not practised in.

"It could be deliberately put on to make you think something else -these people are clever."