Speculation is swirling in Russia about the state of Vladimir Putin`s health, as an unusual spell outside the public eye has fueled the rumor mill. On Thursday, the Russian President`s spokesman sought to quash such talk, saying in an interview that Putin`s health is "really perfect."

Dmitry Peskov told The Associated Press that Putin has a busy agenda in the coming days, including some international meetings. He said that next week the president is set to make a trip to Kazakhstan, which had been planned for this week but abruptly postponed.

At the same time, Yekaterinburg has released coins with the images of the Russian President . They have been called "Putinki". According to preliminary information, the coins will be available in Russia and the annexed Crimea.