Putin 'had face-lift and beat ex-wife', TV documentary claims
TV programme 'Putin the Man' says the Russian President is 'terrified of growing old'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Vladimir Putin has been accused of being a 'drunken groper' and wife-beater who had a facelift because he is 'terrified' of getting old, a sensational TV documentary has claimed.
The programme, which was titled 'Putin the Man' and aired in Germany on Tuesday, alleged that the Russian President is 'afraid of physical decay' and has even resorted to cosmetic surgery to give him a 'young, dynamic appearance'.
It said that Putin - who has been photographed several times in the past stripped to the waist while hunting, shooting and fishing - takes hot and cold baths, followed by gym sessions to hone his macho physique.
The documentary also claimed that the Russian leader, who has reportedly survived five assassination attempts, breakfasts on cottage cheese, presumably to keep him trim - as well as sleeping in late and working only in the afternoon.
Read more: Putin's tiger 'devours domestic dog' after crossing into China
Read more: What’s Putin’s war game?
Read more: Vladimir Putin threatened Madonna with jail for promoting 'gay behaviour' in Russia
But he is seemingly often late for appointments, keeping his ministers waiting for several hours, and even making the Queen of England wait for half an hour, a Kremlin insider told the programme.
Biographer Ben Judah told the ZDF documentary, which included a western intelligence report claiming that the Russian leader had a facelift in 2010, that Putin is "afraid of physical decay, he is afraid of ageing".
The film is said to be based on 'secret Stasi police files' and interviews with former KGB employees and superiors.
Some of the programme's more sensational allegations included that the 62-year-old beat his ex-wife, Lyudmila, who he divorced last year.
A source, said to be a KGB employee who befriended the former Aeroflot stewardess, reportedly told superiors that Putin regularly hit her.
These claims first emerged in 2011, when Germany's BND spy agency compiled reports on the Russian President when he was the KGB deputy, the Daily Telegraph reported.
But Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for the Russian prime minister, dismissed the allegations in the documents, telling the newspaper that the stories were "complete nonsense".
Putin was also described as being "lazy and drunken" when he worked as a KGB spy in Dresden between 1985 and 1990.
A file entry from within that time period is alleged to have said: "Mrs. H. remembers that on the birthday party of her father he grabbed her particularly fiercely, hugging and kissing her. His colleagues in the KGB spoke about his fondness for hard liquor."
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments