Rumour mill in meltdown with Putin not seen for more than a week

Vladimir Putin hasn't been seen in 10 days, and his absence has sent the online rumour mill into overdrove with speculation the Russian President has died or perhaps fathered a child.

The typically omnipresent 62-year-old has cancelled a number of meetings since he was last seen in public on March 5 when he met with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.

Speculation last week had focused on the leader's possible ill-health, which Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied.

"There's no need to worry, he's absolutely healthy," Mr Peskov told Echo of Moscow radio station on Thursday.

He said Putin was busy with Russia's economic crisis and has "meetings constantly, but not all meetings are public".

Asked if Putin's handshake remains firm, Peskov laughed and said: "It breaks your hand."

"As soon as the sun comes out... and it starts smelling of spring, people start getting delusions," Peskov told TASS agency.

Putin is due to meet with the president of Kyrgyzstan in St Petersburg today, with the meeting sure to come under scrutiny amid the rumours.

The rumours come as Putin's approval rating hit 88 per cent, a record high in his 15-year rule, TASS reported Friday citing figures from the state-controlled VTsIOM polling agency.

Putin's popularity has soared since Russia's annexation of the Black Sea Crimea peninsula a year ago.