Putin’s odd walking style indicates ‘KGB career,`say researchers

A new analysis suggests that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s odd walking style is related with training that he received as an agent for KGB, the Russian secret service. When walking, Putin rarely sways his right arm, and habitually sways his left arm only.

The Times reported this on Monday, saying that a research team involving researchers from Portugal, Italy and the Netherlands who analyzed Putin’s walking style made the conclusion that it is not related with certain illness such as Parkinson’s disease. The team who paid attention to his unique walking style suspected that he might have suffered or be suffering from Asperger’s Syndrome, a kind of developmental disorder, or Parkinson’s disease. However, since the Russian leader displays no other symptoms such as shaking, stiffness, or unstable posture, the team reportedly concluded that his way of walking has nothing to do with Parkinson’s disease. The study has been published in the British Medical Journal.

“President Putin has displayed excellent athletic capability, and his handwriting is swift and not unstable,” the research team said. “It is suspected that his walking style is due to ‘behavioral adaptation’ stemming from military or spy training.” “KGB agents are trained to be able to walk with their left body facing toward the direction they move, while keeping a weapon in their right hand that is closer to the chest,” said Prof. Bas Bloem at the Nijmegen Parkinson Center in the Netherlands. “This is because the agent could draw out the gun most promptly this way, when encountering an enemy.”

In fact, former Russian Defense Ministers Anatoly Serdyukov, and Sergey Ivanov, and military commander Anatolli Sidorov, who hail from KGB, walk in a style similar to Putin’s.

aimhigh@donga.com