Limping Putin looks tense and sickly during frantic nuclear weapons speech to stooge crowd, says body language expert

VLADIMIR Putin looked pale and sickly as he milled around in front of a rigid audience for more than two hours, a body language analyst said.

Professor Erik Bucy told The Sun that the raging tyrant “limped” to the podium before straining to present a “strong savior” front to his glassy-eyed listeners.

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Mad Vlad gave one today disturbing annual State of the Nation address and warned the West about Russian nuclear energy.

The 71-year-old dictator said the consequences for “potential invaders” would be “tragic” and threatened the “danger of nuclear conflict”.

He bragged about Russia’s Satan-2 nuclear missile and said the West could be destroyed on its “own territory.”

The long and boring speech comes ahead of the country’s mock elections, where he will undoubtedly secure another term as dictator.

Overshadowed by the huge staging and hidden behind his podium, Professor Bucy told The Sun that today’s speech was Putin’s feeble attempt to come across as Russia’s “strong man” and “lone savior”.

Instead, he appears isolated and sickly as he staggers toward the stage.

For the next two hours, Bucy says, he consistently shifts his weight from one foot to the other, without ever stepping off the stage.

His face looks “swollen and pale” and he is “not the portrait of health”.

Professor Bucy said: ‘Interestingly, Putin walked to the podium alone, but the camera view was turned back so you couldn’t see his walk up close.

“It appeared he favored one leg and was limping slightly. He never steps off the stage and none of his body behind the stands is visible to anyone.

“But it appears he is shifting his weight from one side to the other and sharing the tension on his legs to keep himself upright.”

The isolated position on stage, Bucy explains, is an attempt to portray him as “the nation’s only political voice, alone on a huge stage, conveying the only official view of the nation that is allowed.”

During the grueling speech, scores of Russian elites sit very still with dull expressions or smile faintly and clap when expected.

His clearly staged audience serves to reinforce the distorted perception that he is the voice and savior of Russia.

Professor Bucy told The Sun: “During the speech, muted applause occasionally fills the arena in response to Putin’s statements.

‘The tone is polite and reverent, as if the audience were being coached as to what level their applause should be.

“This orchestrated group response is the only form of response the audience is concerned with.”

Putin, he said, also regularly looks down on his speech, which is “full of disinformation designed to defame the West while at the same time justifying his regime’s unprovoked aggression in Ukraine.”

Putin speaks at a rapid pace and shoots out words to maintain a sense of urgency.

“The faster he speaks, the more he tries to take control of the situation – and the less time there is for the carefully selected audience to think or doubt what he says.”

“The attendees are noticeably careful not to show disapproving or negative facial expressions in response to what is being said.

“Even raising an eyebrow can be interpreted as a gesture against Putin and is not worth the risk.”

And the enormous stadium-like layout of the speech serves to convey a message about “Putin’s sole importance as head of government and the enormous distance between himself and everyone else.”

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