Putin, 62, had cancelled several planned meetings during the week leading to speculation³ over his health and even claims that he was fighting to retain his position. 

 

Channel NTV showed footage of Putin meeting with supreme⁴ court president Vyacheslav Lebedev, which it claims was shot on Friday. 

 

According to Putin's staff, he was discussing judicial⁵ reform and the likely increase in the number of bankruptcies⁶ as as result ofRussia's economic collapse⁷. 

 

Putin is due to meet with the president of KyrgyzstaninSt Petersburgon Monday according to the Kremlin. 

 

The Russian president was last seen in public on March 5. 

 

For the past week, the Russian government has been reluctantly answering questions about Putin's health and suggestions that his unofficial girlfriend Alina Kabayeva had checked into a Swiss maternity⁸ clinic. 

 

Rumours⁹ about 31-year-old Alina Kabayeva surfaced with reports in Switzerland, Italy and Russia suggesting the gymnast had either given birth or was about to do so. 

 

It comes amid increased speculation over what has happened to Putin with the Russian leader not having been seen for a week. 

 

The claims focused on an elite¹⁰ clinic in Lugano, in the Italian region of the neutral country, with some accounts saying she had a new daughter. 

 

Putin's spokesman - who has never confirmed a relationship between the 62 year old strongman and the Olympic gold-medal winner - insisted: 'Information about the birth of Vladimir Putin's child does not correspond to reality.'

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