Where Is Russian President Putin?

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi of Italy and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia at a Kremlin news conference on March 5. The event was the last confirmed public sighting of Mr. Putin. Credit Pool photo by Mikhail Klimentyev/Ria Novosti

New York Times: Putin Has Vanished, but Rumors Are Popping Up Everywhere

MOSCOW — Where’s Putin?

The question obsessed Moscow and much of Russia on Friday, as speculation mounted as to why President Vladimir V. Putin had not been seen in public for more than a week.

He abruptly canceled a trip to Kazakhstan and postponed a treaty signing with representatives from South Ossetia who were reportedly told not to bother to fly to Moscow. Most unusually, he was absent from an annual meeting of the top officials from the F.S.B., Russia’s domestic intelligence service.

The rumor mill went into overdrive, churning out possible explanations from the simple to the salacious to the sinister. He had been stricken by the particularly devastating strain of flu going around Moscow just now. He sneaked off to Switzerland for the birth of his love child. He had a stroke. The victim of a palace coup, he was imprisoned within the Kremlin. He was dead, aged 62.

More News On The Rumors Swirling Around The Disappearance of Russian President Putin

Kremlin declines to comment on report on Putin's absence from Moscow: Dozhd -- Reuters
Where is Vladimir Putin? Russia's President has been awol for 10 days and the rumour mill is in overdrive -- The Independent
Vladimir Putin Alive, Sick With Flu Despite Death Rumors, CIA Source Tells Gawker -- IBTimes
Ten days and counting: Vladimir Putin 'missing' mystery goes on as media retract sighting -- Sunday Express
Swiss media reveals more about Putin’s girlfriend, baby -- New York Post
Paper says Austrian doctor treating Putin for back problems -- Reuters
Vladimir Putin has been 'neutralised' by a stealthy coup as rumours about his health and well-being continue to flourish -- Daily Mail
The latest Putin rumor is that he is recovering from the flu -- Business Insider
Speculation rife as world waits for Putin to reappear -- BBC
Mystery of Putin's disappearance deepens with Russian state media 'mistake' -- The Telegraph
Everyone 'Worried' About Putin's Whereabouts, Except The Russians -- Kenneth Rapoza, Forbes
Putin Hasn’t Been Seen in Public in a Week. But Don't Freak Out Quite Yet. -- Joshua Keating, Slate
This is why it’s impossible for the Kremlin to lie about Putin’s weird disappearance -- Julia Ioffe, Washington Post