Moscow: Lavrov taken to hospital with fake “acrobatics”

Yesterday, the Russian Foreign Ministry denied the widespread news that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was transferred to the hospital after arriving in Indonesia to attend the G20 summit. Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the reports “fake news.” In her Telegram post, she wrote: “We don’t believe our eyes. He’s in the hospital. This is, of course, false acrobatics. Asked about it, Lavrov, who represents his country in the G-20 after President Putin’s absence, said from the balcony of his hotel room, which Western journalists have been writing about for a decade, that Russian President Vladimir Putin is ill. “This game is not new in politics,” he added. “Western journalists should be more honest.” Earlier today, the Associated Press reported, citing Indonesian government sources, that Lavrov was taken to Sangla Hospital in Denpasar, the capital of the Bali region, and that he was being treated for a heart condition. Bali’s governor told Reuters that Lavrov had visited the Sangla hospital for a “check-up” but was in good health. He added, “He was in good health and after being examined, he left immediately.”