Ukrainians, as can be expected, watched Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent visit to the United States keenly and honed in on a minor detail of his demeanor—a twitching leg, giving rise to speculation he may have been wearing an exoskeleton.
His meeting with US President Donald Trump at the Elmendorf-Richardson air base in Anchorage, Alaska, was the first time he set foot on US soil in a decade, and drew the attention of body language experts and lip-readers alike.
The assessment follows two years after General SVR‘s Telegram campaign nurtured the West’s appetite for conspiracies, in the dearth of real information coming out of the ultra-secretive Kremlin.
Both of Vladimir’s knees seemed to buckle at one point
The footage captures a chat between Putin and Trump as the two seem to make small talk in the foyer outside the conference room. As the 5ft 7 Russian speaks to his American counterpart (6ft 3), his knees appear to buckle—twice.
Notably, it is part of a rocking motion, apparently, in reaction to something Trump says.
One of the Ukrainian outlets to cotton on to the phenomenon was the Times of Ukraine, which captioned the video posted to its Telegram account, saying:
“Attention — to Putin’s feet. What’s up with them? The Kremlin itself publishes the video.”
Another channel, named Nezerov, after a Russian-Ukrainian TV journalist, observed: “Putin seemed to have achieved his goal, but he is twitching suspiciously. His legs are ‘walking’.”
“Maybe his boots are pinching,” it suggested.
Another outlet called out the Russian leader’s platform shoes and claimed he was wearing an exoskeleton
I don’t think a KGB Master Spy would shake his legs so much when standing. This guy ain’t Putin.
pic.twitter.com/BTVjKQRjYu— Curiosity (@curiosity92631) August 16, 2025
Elsewhere, another entity, the Crimean Wind, observed:
“A strange element resembling a light exoskeleton was noticed in the outfit of [Putin].
“However, something resembling a light exoskeleton under the [trousers] – at least from the knees down – is noticeable.”
It went on to point out the difference in height between the two heads of state and claimed:
“Apparently, suffering from a Napoleon complex, Putin decided not to limit himself to traditional shoes with hidden platforms adding up to 12 cm [around 5 inches] in height for the ‘meeting of the century’.”
These speculations parallel a 2022 report by the UK Sun when it headlined: “Bloated Putin fuels Parkinson’s rumors after ‘gripping table, slouching and constantly tapping foot’”
In the same year Parkinson’s News Today reported that exoskeletons were slated to be tested to improve “neuromuscular function in people with Parkinson’s disease.”
These assessments come two years after an entity posing as a Kremlin insider claimed Vladimir Putin had passed away and was being stored in a freezer
These observations echo wild accounts of the Russian leader’s allegedly declining health and his use of body doubles—the most rampant of which prevailed in 2023.
One of the main instigators was the Telegram account General SVR, which disseminated elaborate accounts of how the autocrat who served since 2012, was succumbing to cancer and heart problems.
At the peak of the sensationalized conspiracy campaign, which had western media outlets’ rapt attention for months, the channel posted:
“The corpse of Russian President Vladimir Putin is still in the freezer at his residence in Valdai. As they joke in the Kremlin: ‘Putin is the best prepared for Halloween, and he is doing a fantastically natural job of portraying a [deceased] man’.”
“While the Kremlin is joking, Nikolai Patrushev is in no mood for jokes; he has been looking for a solution to the deceased’s body for the sixth day. There is no solution yet.”
Putin’s continuing problem to control his legs and arms has been visible again today, when he met Lukashenko. This man is medically sick. Russia’s losing war will most certainly expedite his worsening condition. #Russia #Putin pic.twitter.com/IqX1adtCH8
— (((Tendar))) (@Tendar) February 17, 2023
The account would later claim that the solution was a body double so convincing that it was able to visit China and fool its leader Xi Jinping.
Experts also noticed a change in Trump’s posture during the meet and greet, and some say he was wearing a “form-fitting undergarment”
Body language experts have since analyzed the nonverbal signals between Putin and Trump at the anchorage meet, Bored Panda reported on August 15.
Patty Ann Wood was one such fundi. She noticed that Trump’s posture was more erect than usual and credited it to a “form-fitting undergarment.”
“Trump typically likes to have his hand on top, but here it appears he presented his palm up—a weaker, more subordinate position—indicating he sees Putin as more powerful,” her assessment concluded.
Lipreader Nicola Hickling also gave her take on the interaction, saying: “Trump begins clapping as Putin approaches and says, ‘Finally.’ As they shake hands, Trump adds, ‘You made it, fantastic to see you and appreciated’.”
To which Putin responded: “Thank you — and you. I am here to help you.”
There are also persistent rumors of Parkinson’s disease
