Raised on SNS for years... Kremlin Palace no response
Expert: "Kremlin Palace neglects to lower media trust"
There have been persistent rumors that Russian President Vladimir Putin has either already died or is in poor health and is using a body double in public appearances, known as the 'Putin Double Theory.' Recently, claims have even emerged that an interview with President Putin conducted by a far-right American commentator was fabricated.
According to the American daily The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 10th (local time), Russian political scientist Valery Solovey asserted that the two-hour interview released on the 8th between former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson and President Putin was fake. He claimed that the person appearing in the interview was not President Putin but a double who closely resembles him.
Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, being interviewed by Tucker Carlson, former Fox News anchor in the United States
Valery Solovey, a political scientist and YouTuber with over 500,000 subscribers, has propagated the conspiracy theory that President Putin died last year and that the person currently appearing in public is his double.
He further claimed that senior Kremlin officials are hiding President Putin's body in a refrigerated facility while controlling his double.
WSJ sought a response from former anchor Carlson regarding these claims, but he declined to comment. The Kremlin also did not respond to email inquiries.
This 'Putin Double Theory' has attracted attention on social media and Western media since 2020. The claims that President Putin has already died or is using a double due to poor health continue to be generated by anti-Putin Telegram channels and YouTubers.
Some netizens who believe these theories have posted videos and photos analyzing President Putin's behavior and appearance in public appearances to support their claims.
WSJ reported that every time related coverage appears, search terms related to the Putin Double Theory surge, indicating steady interest.
As these conspiracy theories persist, William Burns, Director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), unusually disclosed in 2022 that President Putin is "completely excessively healthy," revealing the health status of a foreign leader.
Meanwhile, the Russian Kremlin has neither refuted nor addressed the double theory. Experts analyze that rumors of Putin's death reduce attention from those inside Russia or the West who oppose President Putin's policies, such as the Ukraine war.
Last year, Eric Green, a former White House National Security Council (NSC) advisor under the Biden administration, suggested that the Kremlin might be providing false information about President Putin to the media to undermine media credibility.
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