Was Lavrov taken to the hospital?…the truth in a video

After reports that he was ill and transferred to hospital ahead of his attendance at the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov appeared in a video Monday wearing casual clothes and sitting on the balcony of his hotel, denying the validity of the news.

The 72-year-old Lavrov considered the news of his hospitalization a “political game”, according to Reuters.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova posted the video clip on her Telegram channel, and it was reported by several media outlets, including Reuters.

❗️ Break:

On the issue of his hospitalization in Bali, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov advised Western media to “write more truths” pic.twitter.com/u5Nl80867P

— OsintTv📺 (@OsintTv) November 14, 2022

Lavrov said he was “at the hotel now, ready for the G-20 summit”.

Before the video was released, the Associated Press quoted 3 Indonesian government officials as confirming that the Russian foreign minister had been taken to hospital after suffering a health problem upon his arrival to attend the G20 summit.

Officials told the agency the Russian diplomat was being treated in Bali for a heart condition.