Ukrainian military intelligence has doubled down on its claims that Vladimir Putin uses at least three lookalikes.
According to spokesman Andriy Yusov, the Putin actors are under close guard and “constant surveillance” by Russian intelligence services and do not have independent lives.
His comments follow claims this week that the dictator's New Year's address, broadcast across Russia just before midnight, came from an AI Putin.
According to observers, the Russian president's neck appeared out of sync with his body, as if his head had been superimposed for the televised speech.
'This information [on Vladimir Putin using body doubles] is confirmed by many sources,” Yusov said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin takes a selfie with a devoted Dagestan teenager during an overnight visit on Wednesday, days after the failed Wagner coup
It is widely believed that Putin has undergone regular cosmetic surgery as he has aged since becoming president on the last day of 1999
Kiev official Anton Gerashchenko posted three pictures of Putin's chin in March and asked whether they belonged to the same man. He sneered, “What’s wrong with your chin, Putin?”
This week there were claims that the dictator's New Year's address, broadcast across Russia just before midnight, came from an AI Putin
'[It] is no longer news or something that needs to be proven to the world…
“The doppelganger technology has been used before and is still being used now, especially by Vladimir Putin or his entourage, people who have influence on the situation in the Kremlin.”
He appeared to be referring to claims by some Russian sources that Putin is dead and has been replaced by physical doppelgangers manipulated by shady Kremlin figures led by West-hating Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev.
Others believe that duplicates are being used because Putin is seriously ill or is hiding in a bunker out of fear for his safety.
Yusov's boss Lieutenant General. Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine's military intelligence agency HUR, claimed last year that the real Putin had not been seen since June 2022.
Andriy Yusov, spokesman for the Main Intelligence Service of Ukraine (pictured right)
Yusov said “we know of at least three” doppelgangers and they are strictly under the control of Russian intelligence services
Yusov said “we know of at least three” doppelgangers and they are strictly under the control of Russian intelligence services.
“They live under constant surveillance,” he said in an interview.
“These are people who certainly don’t belong to themselves.”
“It is not a matter of some subjects that … can be used in certain circumstances to implement various scenarios, very different.” [power-brokers in the] The Kremlin is thinking about it.
“So it’s clear that their fate is, shall we say, unenviable.”
'[They undergo] Constant training, including surgical procedures, to adapt to some common features [appearance].
“And of course the constant total control.”
He denied that the alleged Putin lookalikes were kept together.
“They are not kept in one place,” he said.
“It is clear that the information about this is extremely confidential and has not yet been fully clarified…”
“These are people who don’t belong to themselves, that’s a fact.”
“These are people who certainly do not belong to themselves,” Yusov said
Yusov warned that they may be fired after their role ends, leaving them unable to say how they behaved as the real Putin
“It’s also true that they don’t lead a free life.”
“They don’t stay in the same city together.”
“You don’t play tennis, two Putins at the same time.”
“They don’t drink tea together, well, we won’t see a picture like that.”
They were held in a “very closed regime, constantly monitored by the Russian special services.”
He warned that they could be disposed of once their role is over, lest they say how they behaved like the real Putin and deceived millions of ordinary Russians.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting at his Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow
Ladimir Putin listens to a question during a press conference with his Finnish counterpart after talks in the Black Sea resort of Sochi
They may be paid to play the role of Putin, but they may also be forced into obedience through “fear” and “blackmail” if they step out of line.
The journalist asked: “What happens to them if they become redundant once they have done their job?”
Yusov said: “This is a very logical question, and I am sure each of you has asked yourself this many times…”
He claimed that “eliminating unnecessary people” was not a problem for Russian intelligence services, especially within Russia
“Of course, every month there are more such questions, because sooner or later Putin will leave one way or another,” he said.
A view of a fire near a car dealership after a Russian missile attack in Kiev
Firefighters extinguish a fire following a Russian attack in Kiev, Ukraine
The moderator asked: “Is a doppelganger revolt possible?”
He replied, “Certainly not alone.”
“But they can be used by people who have information about them, yes they can.”
Political analyst and professor Valery Solovey – who insists duplicates are being used because the real Putin died in October 2023 – showed videos and images of Putin in his recent New Year's address and from the same event at the start of 2022.
“You can easily see and, most importantly, hear two completely different people,” he posted.
The 2022 version appears with a puffy face compared to 2024's Putin.