(Bloomberg) — Russian President Vladimir Putin, renowned for macho stunts that often involve taking his shirt off, is feeling under the weather.
"The president has a cold," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call Tuesday, adding that Putin, whose voice appeared hoarse at meetings a day earlier, would limit his public appearances while continuing to work. "It’s winter."
Putin, 65, is all but certain to win a fourth term in presidential elections next month to extend his rule to 2024. State television showed him plunging into the icy waters of a lake in freezing temperatures in January as part of Russian Orthodox Epiphany traditions.
After the White House released details of U.S. President Donald Trump’s health check last month, Peskov ruled out publishing medical reports on Putin, whom he described as "absolutely healthy." The Kremlin later Tuesday released details of Putin meeting with diamond miner Alrosa’s chief executive officer, Sergey Ivanov.
The president won’t attend a planned event at Moscow’s VDNKh exhibition center on Wednesday and will meet instead with participants either at the Kremlin or at his residence outside Moscow, Peskov said.
