A former MI6 chief has shed light on why Vladimir Putin reportedly uses body doubles for some of his public appearances.
According to Sir Richard Dearlove, the ex-head of MI6, the Russian president employs doubles as a security measure to protect himself from assassination attempts. Recent photos taken within a month show variations in Putin’s chin, fueling speculation about the use of stand-ins.
Sir Richard explained that while Putin “certainly” uses doubles in certain circumstances, they would not be deployed during sensitive, close-contact meetings, as maintaining the illusion would be too difficult. Speaking to The Sun, he said:
"There will be occasions, depending on the circumstances, when he certainly, for security reasons, would have a body double. It’s almost a normal security measure for somebody like Putin, who is a very high-profile target. Assassination has been a common part of Russian politics for many, many years."
The risk to Putin’s life has reportedly increased since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Kremlin is said to be particularly concerned about his safety in outdoor settings, where he is more exposed. In these situations, doubles are believed to appear at public events such as playground visits, where the press and public are at a distance.
Ukrainian security sources claim that men resembling Putin have been trained to stand in for him. Moscow, however, insists that Putin himself continues to appear publicly.
In 2023, a Japanese TV network, TBS, conducted an AI-based facial recognition analysis. Their findings suggested that while the real Putin presided over the annual Red Square Victory Day parade, other events such as an inspection of the Crimean Bridge may have involved a double, with AI matching only 53% of the facial features. Other appearances, including a visit to Mariupol, showed matches as low as 40%, and Crimea photos scored just 18%.
TBS concluded that expert analysis points to a high likelihood that Putin uses at least two body doubles for certain appearances, highlighting the extreme security measures surrounding the Russian leader.
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