Russian President Vladimir Putin reappeared after 10 days of not being seen in public and laughed at rumors that he was suffering from an illness.

Putin was not seen in public for the past days and had cancelled meetings and trips that were scheduled outside of the country. However, it was reported last week that the cancellations were due to his busy schedule and that his health was not in jeopardy.

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The 62-year-old Russian leader met with the president of Kyrgyzstan, Almazbek Atambayev, outside of St. Petersburg. There, he told media that it would be boring if there was no gossip.

Putin was referring to the circulating health rumors about him. He even went as far as citing one rumor which said he was out of the country because he had to accompany a woman who has given birth to his love child.

Due to the absence of Putin, Kremlin posted videos on their website showing that the president was busy with various meetings. However, the public felt that they were being deceived so they looked for clues as to when these videos were taken.

However, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to these reactions, saying there is nothing wrong with the president and even mocked the gossips confirming that he attended the birth of his love child.

The reappearance of Putin coincides with the military exercises of Russia to address the Ukraine crisis. According to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, the president tasked 40,000 troops to be ready for combat in the Arctic North. These military exercises are expected to last for the whole week.

The Ukraine crisis is still ongoing and the battle between the Ukrainian forces and the Russian-backed separatists has already claimed the lives of around 6,000 people. Due to this, sanctions were imposed against Russia but despite the economic crisis being faced by the country, the fighting still continues.

Tagshealth rumor, Russia, Ukraine