Hospital rumours are fake news, says Lavrov
Russian foreign minister blames Western press after claim he had check-up for heart condition in Bali
‘They’ve been writing about our president for years that he’s sick. There’s nothing new here’
SERGEI LAVROV, Russia’s foreign minister, dodged claims yesterday that he was admitted to hospital while in Indonesia, rejecting what he described as foreign press “rumours”.
Indonesian officials triggered a scare when they told reporters that the 72-year-old had been taken to hospital with a heart condition upon arrival on the island of Bali for the G20 summit.
Mr Lavrov’s spokesman was quick to laugh off the reports and the Russian foreign ministry published a video of him on a patio in his shorts, apparently reading documents by a pool. Maria Zakharova, the ministry’s spokeswoman, was heard on video asking Mr Lavrov, a notorious heavy drinker and chain smoker, about the reports.
Mr Lavrov made no mention of whether he had visited hospital or not, but said “Western journalists” had form for spreading disinformation about Vladimir Putin’s health.
“They’ve been writing about our president for years that he’s sick. There’s nothing new here,” he said.
Mr Lavrov said he was busy getting ready for a meeting with his Indonesian counterpart.
Tass, the Russian state-owned news agency, also put out a photograph of what appeared to be a smiling Lavrov next to a swimming pool.
Wayan Koster, governor of Bali, later claimed Mr Lavrov had visited hospital for what he said was a check-up, and that the minister was in good health.
Two officials earlier named the hospital where Mr Lavrov was taken and said he received treatment for a heart condition. The Russian diplomat, who has served as the foreign minister since 2004, went to Bali as head of the Russian delegation after Mr Putin decided not to attend the G20 himself.
Mr Lavrov, known for his penchant for whisky, petitioned against the smoking ban in the United Nations building during his posting there in the 1990s.
His spokesman, however, said a few years ago that Mr Lavrov only has “a couple of cigarettes a day” these days.
A few months before the invasion of Ukraine, while on a trip to Norway, Mr Lavrov received a glass decanter as a gift from the rector of Norway’s Arctic University, who assured him this was for whisky, not water as he had feared.
Mr Lavrov was known to rebel against mandatory mask wearing during the coronavirus pandemic.
At the few one-on-one meetings with Western colleagues during the pandemic, he would push the mask down to his chin, and while in China last year he wore one with an anti-lockdown slogan.
Even though he has served as the foreign minister for almost two decades, Mr Lavrov is not considered to be a part of Mr Putin’s inner circle.
He had been publicly mocking Western media and officials in his denials of multiple intelligence warnings ahead of Russia’s move on Ukraine in February.
Several Western officials said that they believe Mr Lavrov had not been briefed about Mr Putin’s invasion plans until a few days prior to the attack.
Mr Lavrov’s choice of clothing in the video – a T-shirt from an exhibition by Jean-michel Basquiat, a gay, anti-colonial black artist – raised eyebrows as much as the iphone on his desk and what looks like an Apple Watch.
Sergey Markov, a pro-kremlin political scientist and former member of parliament, voiced his dismay yesterday, saying: “Everyone is surprised why Sergei Lavrov is using an Applewatch and an iphone.
“I mean they’re under surveillance by American intelligence, aren’t they?”
Ms Zakharova pointed out to critics that iphones are manufactured in China as well as the fact that Russia has yet to invent a reliable smartphone of its own.