Although the Kremlin has categorically denied that Mr Putin is in good health, this has come amid speculation about the Russian leader’s health in recent days. Well-known Putin critic Valerie Solovi has said the head of state has cancer.

This follows Mr. Solovi’s earlier claim that Mr. Plotin may have Parkinson’s disease, as reported by The Sun.

Now, Putin’s critics and political analysts are making further claims about the Russian leader’s health.

Mr Solovy cited evidence that he had links to the Kremlin.

Mr Putin, 68, told The Sun on Friday that he had two health problems, one “psycho-neurological and the other cancerous.”

He said: “If anyone is interested in a proper diagnosis, I am not a physician and I have no ethical right to disclose these issues.”

Mr Solovy, a former head of the PR department at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, said Mr Putin had undergone surgery in February this year.

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Meanwhile, Mr Solovy is said to be running for the presidency with several prominent Russian figures.

They include Mr Putin’s 34 – year – old daughter, Katrina Dikonova, who is currently leading an AI project.

Others are said to be Dmitry Medvedev, who resigned as prime minister earlier this year, and Dmitry Badrushev, the country’s agriculture minister and chief executive of the Russian Agricultural Bank.

Kremlin spokesman Mr Peskov had earlier this month denied that Mr Putin had any plans to step down in the future.

This week, the Duma, the lower house of parliament in Russia, backed a bill that would put Mr Putin and his family out of the presidency and free them from criminal charges.

The bill is part of a series of amendments to the Russian Constitution, which was adopted in July this year.

Other changes allow Mr Putin to run for president for two more terms.

His current term is set to end in 2024, which means he will be in power for about 24 years.

Opposition leader Alexei Navalny, one of Putin’s most important critics, tweeted: “Why does Putin need immunity now?”

Mr Navalny is gradually recovering from a poisoning by a nervous agent while on a plane in Siberia earlier this year.

German medical researchers concluded that the chemical agent Novichok was used. The Kremlin has been widely accused, but denies any involvement.