Maybe he is recovering from plastic surgery. Possibly he is in Switzerland, attending the apocryphal birth of his alleged girlfriend’s baby. He may have been ousted in a coup; he could be lying low while rival henchmen square up. Or perhaps the real reason for Vladimir Putin’s ten-day public absence is a severe illness—or even death. That last rumour, at least, should be disproved when Russia’s president meets his Kyrgyz counterpart in St Petersburg today (rarely has this particular diplomatic fixture excited such interest). But even if he resurfaces, and the Kremlin confects a persuasive explanation for his hibernation, it has highlighted the grim pathologies of Russian politics. Mr Putin’s system of rule is so precariously personalised that even a temporary withdrawal incites a collective breakdown. And it is so opaque that, for all the propaganda, many Russians are liable to discount official announcements and embrace the wildest conspiracy theories.

​