"Putin Daeyeok Visits Ukraine" Daeyeok Suspicion
Russian President Vladimir Putin is alleged to have used a 'double' to avoid personal security threats when visiting Ukraine. The theory of Putin's double has been consistently raised alongside rumors about his health issues.
On the 21st (local time), the U.S. media outlet Newsweek reported, "There is a possibility that the Putin who recently visited Mariupol and Sevastopol in Ukraine was a double (not the real one)."
According to the report, Anton Gerashchenko, an advisor to the Ukrainian Minister of Internal Affairs, recently shared three photos of President Putin on his social media. The photos show Putin during his visits to Moscow in February, and Sevastopol and Mariupol in March.
Advisor Anton focused on the shape of Putin's chin. In the photo taken in Moscow, the chin protrudes forward, but in the Sevastopol photo from the 18th, it was almost chinless. Meanwhile, in the Mariupol photo taken on the 19th, Putin's chin appeared relatively angular and pointed. Anton wrote alongside the photos, "Which one do you think is the real one?"
The anti-Putin Telegram channel 'GeneralSVR,' which claims to have sources within the Kremlin, also asserted on the same day that the person who visited Sevastopol and Mariupol was not President Putin but a double.
GeneralSVR said the double did not say much on site, only took photos and videos, and quickly left the scene. They also continued to raise suspicions of a double, citing an absurd situation where Putin was seen driving at night in Mariupol without a seatbelt.
At least 3 doubles? ... 'Fake Putin theory' in the past as well
Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) is driving a vehicle during his visit to Mariupol, a territory occupied by Russian forces in Ukraine, on the night of the 18th (local time). [Image source=Yonhap News]
This is not the first time the controversy over Putin's double has arisen. In October last year, Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine's Defense Intelligence Directorate, said in an interview with foreign media, "It is astonishing how Russia is using terrible tactics in the war," and questioned, "Whether Putin is still making important decisions."
He added, "In the past, doubles of Putin appearing at special events have been spotted," and claimed, "There are at least three doubles, all of whom underwent plastic surgery to look similar to Putin."
However, the Kremlin has repeatedly denied such suspicions. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told the media, "President Putin is aware of the 'fake Putin theory,'" and "The president laughs when he hears such stories."
President Putin himself revealed in a 2020 interview with TASS news agency that "In the early 2000s, when fighting Chechen separatists, the idea of introducing a double for personal security was suggested among close aides but was rejected."
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