Russian President Vladimir Putin is using at least three body doubles to represent him on some occasions, including virtual appearances, Ukrainian military intelligence has claimed.
Spokesperson Andriy Yusov said the doppelgängers are kept under strict surveillance by the Russian secret service and are prohibited from living normal lives.
They also allegedly undergo constant training and surgeries to maintain a consistent appearance and act exactly like the Russian president.
Yusov’s intelligence report comes amid speculations that Putin’s New Year address was delivered by a doppelgänger with the help of artificial intelligence.
In the televised speech, the president’s neck appeared out of sync with his body, suggesting his head was superimposed.
“[This] is no longer some kind of news or something that needs to be proven in the world… The technology of doubles has been used before and is being used now, in particular by Vladimir Putin or his entourage,” Yusov said, as quoted by Daily Mail.
Where is the Real Putin?
Yusov’s statement was issued amid claims that Putin is already dead, and his allies are deceiving millions of ordinary Russians by covering it up.
Some sources also alleged that the Russian president is seriously ill or hiding in fear for his security.
Another Ukrainian military intelligence official, Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, claimed last year that the real Putin has not been seen since June 2022, four months after declaring the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, political analyst and professor Valery Solovey said the real Putin died in October 2023, as he showed screengrabs of the Russian president taken from a recently televised address and a similar video greeting he made in 2022.
“You can easily see and, most importantly, hear two COMPLETELY different people,” he claimed.
Узрите разницу!
НАСТОЯЩИЙ МАТЕРИАЛ (ИНФОРМАЦИЯ) ПРОИЗВЕДЕН, РАСПРОСТРАНЕН И (ИЛИ) НАПРАВЛЕН ИНОСТРАННЫМ АГЕНТОМ СОЛОВЬЕМ ВАЛЕРИЕМ ДМИТРИЕВИЧЕМ ЛИБО КАСАЕТСЯ ДЕЯТЕЛЬНОСТИ ИНОСТРАННОГО АГЕНТА СОЛОВЬЯ ВАЛЕРИЯ ДМИТРИЕВИЧА. 18+ pic.twitter.com/VnGgiJBDRE
— Валерий Соловей (@V_Solovey) January 2, 2024
Potential Fate
According to Yusov, the three Putin doppelgängers live isolated existences and are unlikely to be living together.
“They don’t stay in the same city together. They don’t play tennis, two Putins at the same time. They don’t drink tea together, well, such a picture we will not see,” he said.
He also noted that the body doubles have been kept obedient through fear and blackmail in addition to the money they are being paid.
However, Yusov warned that the doppelgängers may soon be disposed of once their role is over, so they cannot expose the administration.
