The Kremlin rejected what it said were lies that 70-year-old President Vladimir Putin has replacements and that he spends a significant portion of his time isolated in a nuclear bunker.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov listed the myths he said were being told about Russia in a speech in which he referred to the country’s history since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, the causes of the war in Ukraine and the supposed treachery of Western society.

“Obviously you’ve heard that Putin has a lot of henchmen working for him while he sits in the bunker,” Peskov said, speaking at a conference in Moscow, before adding with a smile: “Another lie.”

“You see for yourself what our president looks like: he has always been, and still is, very active, those who work next to him can hardly keep up with him.”

“His energy can only be envied. God willing, his health can only be enviable. Of course, he is not sitting in any shelter. This is also a lie,” Peskov said.

The Kremlin has repeatedly dismissed speculation that Putin, Russia’s most important leader since 1999, is ill.