EDITORIAL: Where did Vladimir Putin go?

OPINION:

When Russian President Vladimir Putin vanished from sight in early March all the explanation were colorful rumors. The maximum leader was a victim of a coup, he was attending the birth of his “love child” (the warmer, fuzzier Vlad), he was having cosmetic surgery (bullies on steeds need Botox, too). Or he was dead.

But behind the rumors and the jokes was widespread unease. The disappearance of a world leader, even a troublesome one, telegraphs hints of upheaval, unrest and destabilization.

Now Vlad is back, but still all we’ve got are rumors. When he met with Kyrgyzstan President Almazbek Atambayev in St. Petersburg all Mr. Putin said to inquiring reporters was an enigmatic, “It would be boring without gossip.” Mr. Atambayev vouched for Mr. Putin’s good health: “He just now drove me around the grounds, he himself sat at the wheel. The president of Russia not only walks, but speeds around.” The spokesperson helpfully added that the Putin handshake “can break a hand.”

This still doesn’t explain the Russian president’s canceled meetings and no-shows. When he canceled a trip to Kazakhstan, a Kazakh official said he had fallen ill. If he had suffered a cold or a bout of flu, secrecy prevailed, no doubt to protect the image of strength. Remember the steed. The Kremlin denied the birth of a love child with his gymnast girlfriend. There’s just no romance in the Kremlin.

The government supplied a photograph of a meeting between Mr. Putin and the regional governor of Karelia, but the Russian newspaper RBC said the meeting actually had taken place a week earlier. In his meeting with the Kyrgyzstan president, the two leaders discussed “continued steps to develop bilateral co-operation, particularly trade and investment ties, cultural and humanitarian contacts, and relations in the energy sector,” as well as Kyrgyzstan’s participation in the Eurasian Economic Union. Did they discuss Mr. Putin’s recent pronouncements about Russia’s nuclear capacity? That brought back bad memories of the Cold War. Did they discuss Mr. Putin’s continued incursions into Ukraine? Or the recent murder of Boris Nemtsov, an outspoken critic of Mr. Putin?

We may never know. What we do know is that Mr. Putin’s absence led to lots of humor, the darker the better. The Internet sprouted all manner of hashtags, including #Whereisputin and #Putinisdead. And of course a photograph of a younger Putin on a milk carton, with the message, “Missing. Have you seen me? Call 1-800 Kremlin.” In Ukraine, someone left a large funeral wreath at the gate of the Russian embassy with a note addressed to Putin: “Thank you for croaking.”

Russia is a land of duplicity and concealment. Mikhail Gorbachev vanished in 1991 and the people were told he was ill. They later learned a coup was in progress and he was being held against his will. President Boris Yeltsin disappeared from time to time, but he was merely ill or drunk. He liked Johnny Walker Black Label. (Or whatever’s available.)

Disappearing leaders don’t go missing only in Russia. North Korea’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un disappeared for 40 days last year, only to turn up with an ankle problem. Both Mr. Putin and Mr. Kim are vulnerable because they’re billionaires. Mr. Putin’s net worth is reputed to be $75 billion. Mr. Kim is down to his last $5 billion, but a ruble goes farther in Pyongyang. We can’t miss them if they won’t go away, as the song says, but when they do, it might be nice if they leave a forwarding address. And they should write if they find work.