Putin's Body Double
Even casual students of Russian history are captivated by the story of "False Dmitriy" [RU = ljedmitrij], a singllular tale that is peculiar to Russian political culture, The first False Dmitriy was supposedly a monk posing as a miraculously saved prince, who was actively supported by the Polish aristocrats, as well as the Catholic Church. Having been crowne Czar on 30 July 1695, False Dmitry I was killed as a result of a conspiracy of the boyars on 17 May 1607. The second False Dmitry first appeared on the scene around 20 July 1607, and soon established control over significant areas to the East, North and North-West of Moscow. But he was forced to flee with the remnants of his troops to Kaluga, and on 11 December 1610, he was killed while hunting near Kaluga by the Kasimov Tatar Pyotr Urusov, who betrayed him. False Dmitry III first appeared in Novgorod in 1611. On 02 March 1612, in Pskov the Cossacks swore allegiance to False Dmitry III, but on 18 May 1612 Pskovians put him in a cage and put him on public display. Information about the further fate of the impostor varies.
As M. Foucault claimed, there is nothing more material, physical and bodily, rather than the exercise of power. Physical discipline was and remains for a long time a permanent practice of the government that generates a person's idea of himself and subjugates him to this idea. In the European societies of the Middle Ages, as claimed by M.Foucault, the body of the king was not a metaphor (of power legitimized by God), and a political thing: his physical presence was considered a necessary condition of the monarchy's life. The healing power of the king was not his personal property, but the power hidden in the "dynastic body" of the Merovingians and Plantagenets (the ruler was a miracle worker, because he belonged to one family by blood from these dynasties). The body of the king symbolized the unity of the state, became a metaphor for society asaggregates of bodies of individuals merging into a single social organism.
The sphere of politics has an extremely strong influence on the attitude towards human physicality, modes of its functioning and strategies of representation. This creats a fertile ground for the values of bodily existence and the formation of the cult of "physical man" (with an orientation towards preservationhealth, formation of an attractive physical image, work on the body, etc).Feminist criticism has shown quite convincingly that control over the body is one of the most effective tools of patriarchy.
When Russia was in a state of crisis, or there were drastic changes in the life of the ruler of the country, rumors appeared that the boyars had replaced the "good" tsar with a "bad" one. The reason for the appearance of such conjectures is the belief in higher justice. And the isolation of the rulers from the people, the isolation of their lives, the lack of photographs made such rumors quite viable. It is worth recalling the appearance of False Dmitriev in the Time of Troubles, stories about the substitution of Peter I during his trip to Europe. Later there was information about Stalin's doubles, which were used to ensure his safety.
This begs the question, which is even scary to ask: who changes doubles in such an important government post? Who tells them what to do? After all, it's not independently that the double cranks out a special operation to replace the president? Who is preparing the twins? People prefer not to even think about it. Since the puppeteers are hiding in the shadows, it means that they are sure that the people will never support them in open elections. It can be foreigners, bandits and traitors.
Claims that Putin uses a body double [Ru= "dvoynik" = doppelgänger] have been circulating for years. There's recently been a significant increase in such reports, but evidence is scant. A body double can mimic some manners, however, Vladimir Putin has such a busy public life, that it is absurd to be organised with body doubles. In film industry stunt man and women often replace the actors in a fast paced scenes where the actor's face is not shown. But only in fast paced scenes. It is technically impossible to use body double in close ups.
"The most important thing here is not even who will replace Putin, but that no one will guess that this person is not Putin. That is, then we are dealing with an identical person. What components of identity matter in this case? Firstly, it is static, that is, some static signs. The person must be about the same age in appearance. A person must be the same height, and here it is already more difficult. A person should look the same, that is, he should be identical to Putin, there should really be a double himself, and here difficulties already begin," psychologist and non-verbal communication expert Valentin Kim said on Radio NV 04 August 2022. "The question is quite interesting, it is really very relevant now. The question of twins is actualized precisely in such turbulent times, when society, consciously or unconsciously, tries to explain to itself the answers to difficult questions. For example, why there is a change in the behavior of a politician or some monarch, why certain political processes take place. And in general, this indicates a veiled dissatisfaction with that ongoing policy or that politician. Recently, there really are a lot of reports about twins....
"Putin himself must understand that at any moment not only the double can suffer for him, but he can also suffer for the double. There is a retinue around Putin and not everyone likes him. And at some point, it will simply be beneficial for this environment to remove Putin, to leave an obedient double. Leave a doll that will simply follow any orders, hiding behind this doll. And in this case, Putin himself is not interested in the existence of doubles. Because it is not a question of his safety, it is a question of his danger."
The first mention of the substitution appeared on the Internet in 2011. At this time, strange changes are taking place in the appearance of Vladimir Putin. When these changes reached a critical level, they were explained by Botox injections. The next wave of rumors arose after the inauguration in May 2012 - the person who took the oath was slightly similar to the president known throughout Russia.
Supporters of the theory of twins cite the opinions of physiognomists who claim that in recent years at least 4 different people have appeared in public, portraying Vladimir Putin. They refer to the different configuration of the ears, the shape of the eyes, the shape of the skull. But the main point of interest is this: are doubles used only for the safety of the original, or have doubles completely replaced Putin?v In March 2015, a sensational article appeared in the German newspaper Die Welt, published on behalf of Lyudmila Putina. In this interview, a woman says that her husband has long been dead. She reports that she decided to tell about everything, because it is hard to see what is happening in Russia. Lyudmila said that life with Vladimir was not ideal: in family life, he was a cruel man who tyrannized his wife and children. Life with him turned into a severe test for a woman: she had to endure beatings, humiliation, bullying. Her attempts to defend her independence led to the fact that Lyudmila was sent to a psychiatric clinic.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on 27 February 2020 revealed there was a secret plan to use a double to make public appearances for him, while insisting he vetoed it -- and that he is the real Putin. Putin's comments showed that a conspiracy theory widespread on the internet that the Russian strongman has been impersonated over the years or even replaced by a lookalike is not entirely without basis. TASS state news agency showed Putin a list of popular Russian-language Internet searches including "Putin double proof". "Are you real?" the interviewer asked. Yes," said Putin.
He said he has never had a double but when asked if the idea had ever been discussed, he confirmed it had. Fearing assassination by armed Islamist groups during the Chechnya conflict, the use of a political decoy was discussed. "I refused to have doubles," Putin said. "It was during the hardest times of the fight against terrorism." Putin as prime minister and then president oversaw the second war against separatists in Chechnya from 1999 to 2000. Putin, first as acting president then as elected president, visited Russian troops in Chechnya several times. After Russian armed forces claimed victory, Islamist insurgent attacks became frequent in the North Caucasus while suicide bombers targeted Russia's main cities.
These centered on the 67-year-old's apparent lack of signs of ageing, the disappearance of bags under his eyes and his seemingly worsening knowledge of German, which he learned when working as a Soviet agent in East Germany. In 2015, Putin disappeared from public view for 10 days, unleashing a frenzy of speculation that he had once again become a father, been deposed in a palace coup, fallen ill, had cosmetic surgery or even died. "It's boring without gossip," Putin said after reappearing.
Vladimir Putin may be using a physical duplicate, according to repeated assertions made by the head of Ukraine's military intelligence. The recently appointed Chief of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, Major General Kyrylo Budanov, said on Ukrainian television 04 August 2022 that Putin's height and ears have changed in recent appearances.He made an appearance on the "Groshi" channel and said: "Let's assume the image of the ears is different. Additionally, each person's ear picture is distinctive, just like a fingerprint. It can't be done again."
In October 2022, Budanov told Ukrainian television that the Russian president was using "at least three look-alikes" who had undergone "plastic surgery" to look more like him, as reported in British tabloids such as The Daily Mail. These allegations have never been independently proven.
According to the Ukrainian news site TSN, Budanov also said that he thought the Russian president was gravely ill and that he used body doubles to avoid public appearances. Many critics have discussed the 69-year-old leader's health, and a variety of assertions have been made about it.
The alleged body doubles, according to Budanov, "had different habits, mannerisms, gaits, and sometimes, if you looked closely, different heights." Putin may have utilised a double for his entrance at a summit in Tehran, according to a previous accusation made by the intelligence chief. Budanov told the 1+1 new channel: "I will only hint. Please look at the moment of Putin's exit from the plane. Is it Putin at all?"
Putin made the trip, which is just his second in five months, as one of the few overseas trips he is permitted to undertake as a result of his ongoing invasion of Ukraine. He met the presidents of Turkey and Iran at that location.
Many believe that the president of the Russian Federation has doppelgangers who visit cities and various events instead of him. Thus, in June 2023, Putin simultaneously held a meeting of the Security Council of the Russian Federation and laid flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Alexander Garden. This was announced by the former deputy of the Russian State Duma Viktor Alksnis. He noted that the Security Council meeting began on June 22 at 11:55 Moscow time. But already at 12:15, i.e. 20 minutes later, the Russian president allegedly took part in laying flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Alexander Garden in honor of the Day of Remembrance and Mourning.
Mykhailo Sheitelman, political scientist, writer suggested 17 August 2023: "This is not a conspiracy theory, this is a technique used by all famous dictators.... Just do not exaggerate either. They do not go on a state visit to Turkey. But when you need to take off, wave your hand, wander around the stadium like a bald monkey and say a few words, he is completely released. I have already noticed: if the timer is for three minutes, then very often it is a double. But there is no conspiracy theory in this. This is technology."
Dmytro Popov, psychologist, candidate of psychological sciences, suggested 17 August 2023: "... another clone, which, in my opinion, appeared recently. This clone is really ready to handle everyone in a row. He was in Crimea, he was in Mariupol, he was in Luhansk, and he simply catastrophically neglects the protection measures of the Federal Security Service. He does not travel in armored cars, he flies on simple, very slow-moving Mi-8s, he is not provided with the kind of security that, if you remember, only one pigeon met Putin on the way, and it saluted him. This Putin generally ignores everything....
"These striking changes in their behavior make it possible to assume with a high degree of probability that they are different people. ... And these Putins are all different. Moreover, one of the Putins speaks German, the other, when he hears something in German, makes surprised eyes and quickly asks the translator to help him. The third Putin talks about the fact that he served in the marines. And he says that, they say, I once served, that’s when this and that happened."
Although there's really no proof that Vladimir Putin uses body doubles and lookalikes for certain photo ops and public appearances, the idea that a contentious world leader might make such a move is not so outlandish. Similar rumors have swirled around a number of popular and unpopular leaders and monarchs for decades. Ranging from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who some say in fact may have died, to Britain's Queen Elizabeth, and former American FLOTUS Melania Trump, reasons why current, former, or even dead world leaders might employ such a trick remain largely the same: to take the load off as far as public engagements and duties are concerned, or to keep themselves safe from assassination attempts.
Putin played things extra safe during the coronavirus pandemic, donning a hazmat suit at one point to visit a hospital. Otherwise, he tends to appear in pictures at a great length from other world leaders. This could be an effort to dodge serious illness, or it could be because it's not the real Putin.
Vladimir Putin was accused of sending a body double to Mariupol. The Russian president visited the war-ravaged city 19 March 2023 but Kyiv officials have posted images of Putin's chin and questioned whether it belongs to the same man. Interior Minister advisor Anton Gerashcenko taunted: "What's up with your chin, Putin? Looks like lately his make-up artists (i.e. for the recent trips of the bunker man to the occupied Crimea and Mariupol) had to work with quite a low-quality copy, not even a double but its copy. I wonder which one of them was real?"
Telegram channel General SVR has insisted that the tyrant did not visit Sevastopol or Mariupol and used a double for the engagement. The anti-Putin channel said: "The information from the Kremlin's resources that Vladimir Putin visited Crimea and Mariupol is NOT true. "In Crimea, a double of the president was noted with a short visit and solely for the sake of a video photo shoot." The channel added: "The double was filmed (but) did not talk much and did not stay anywhere for a long time."
However, the dates and locations provided with these images are incorrect and the physical differences seen in the photos can be attributed to age and facial expression. The image was even shared by Anton Gerashchenko, advisor to the minister of internal affairs of Ukraine, and shared more than 6,000 times.
Contrary to the text written on the image, the first photo on the left was not taken on February 21, 2023 in Moscow. It was published by a Russian news agency in an article dated February 23, 2020. The photograph was therefore taken three years ago, before the beginning of the current invasion of Ukraine. This three-year gap could explain the subtle differences in Putin's facial features.
The second photo is taken from a report published on March 19, 2023 by the Russian media Izviesta. The screenshot was taken at a moment in the video when the Russian president was grimacing, which may explain why his chin looks different from other official images. And contrary to what was written on the misleading post, this image was taken in Mariupol, over 600 km away from Sevastopol.
The final photo of Putin, appearing at the left of the original image, is actually a screenshot taken from the same report filmed in Mariupol by Izviesta and published on March 19. Therefore, two of these images of the Russian president were taken at the same time and place.
It used to be lucrative for Slawomir Sobala to look like Putin. But since the war in Ukraine started in early 2022, everything has changed. His resemblance to the Russian president now makes him feel threatened. Sobala, 53, from Poland, has noticed a shift in attitude towards him as his evil twin's campaign of terror in Ukraine has worsened. Poland's famous Putin lookalike, made a tidy second income impersonating the Kremlin chief has been told to "grow a moustache and not leave his home" for his own safety. Slawomir, who runs a transport company as his main hustle, said he still worked as an impersonator despite the real danger.
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