Rumors regarding the health of Tatarstan president Mintimir Shaimiev have become so widespread that it's hard to believe that anyone in the republic hasn't heard them. On Monday night they were acknowledged on television for what I think was the first time—on the "Gorod" news show of the local channel "Efir." On "Gorod" there was a very short (approximately one minute) discussion of the prosecutor's investigation into Irek Murtazin, who first set off the rumors two Fridays ago. Gorod's report stuck very close to the basics of the case and did not go into the question of whether or not the president is in good health.

Meanwhile, Shaimiev himself has yet to appear on television, despite the fact that he was supposed to have returned from vacation in Turkey yesterday. Given the extent to which the rumors have become a distraction in the republic, Shaimiev's failure to appear publicly seems significant. On Monday afternoon, the official news organization of the Tatarstan government released an announcement by Shaimiev congratulating villagers on this year's agricultural output, but there was no appearance of Shaimiev himself. In the evening, meanwhile, both "Efir" and the Rossiia-Tatarstan channel reported on written proposals sent by Shaimiev to the government but did actually show Shaimiev doing anything. Indeed, neither channel mentioned whether or not Shaimiev had even returned from Turkey.

Shaimiev's failure to materialize on Monday has led to even more speculation regarding the state of his health.