Vladimir Putin sent a video message to delegations from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa at the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, instead of attending the summit in person. But attendees noticed his voice was remarkably different than in the past.

Inexplicably, the message seemed either to be dubbed over by a voice actor with a much deeper voice or filtered through with an AI voice changer. This may have been done because the original video posted to the Kremlin’s website saw Putin cough multiple times as he began to read his statement.

By sending a taped message, Putin avoided the risk of being arrested by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. South Africa would have been legally obliged to arrest Putin as a member of the ICC.

In his video, the Russian president informed the BRICS leaders that he would not come back to the Black Sea grain deal until his conditions were met. This involved sanctions that hindered banks and businesses from making food and fertilizer deals. Last month, Russia dropped out of the deal, which had permitted Ukraine to transport grain products out of the Black Sea without interference from the Russian military.

This incident comes after Putin’s seemingly numerous health concerns. In a viral video posted in February, the Russian president’s legs were constantly fidgeting as he met with a political ally.

An official reason for Putin’s real voice not being in the video has not been provided. Leaked U.S. military documents suggest that Putin has been battling cancer for years.

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