09 May 2023 , 01:14
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Russian president Vladimir Putin’s presence at the annual Moscow Victory Day Parade on the capital’s Red Square on Tuesday (May 9) may not be all that it seems, with Ukraine believing a body double will stand in for him.
Rumours have abounded for years that Putin uses several lookalikes – who have undergone plastic surgery – and Kyiv government official Anton Gerashchenko believes the 70-year-old will be holed up in a bunker well away from the huge military parade as a doppelgänger takes his place.
The astounding claim comes from the man who used to be the former deputy minister at the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs and he reckons Putin is so scared of being assassinated, that he is going to extreme measures to keep out of the gaze of the public.
“Putin will not dare to appear at the parade, but will send a double,” he said. “Real fears for his life will force Putin to sit in a bunker, sending another double [onto Red Square].
Will Russian president Vladimir Putin attend the military parade or send a body double, as claims a Ukraine official? (SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)“A drone strike on the Kremlin on May 3 further heightened Putin's fears. Now the chances that he, and not some character playing his role, will participate in the parade, are equal to zero.”
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The claims of Putin ‘doubles’ are given some credence in that there are “inconsistencies in appearance”, while the real president keeps 20ft distance from people he is speaking with, while the lookalikes are sent to shake hands with people and meet large groups at close quarters.
Gerashchenko’s claims have been backed up by Russian opposition Telegram channel General SVR, run by an exiled Kremlin lieutenant-general, who added: “The presence of a double is planned.”
SVR also claimed that Putin’s security operatives staged the drone strike as a false flag operation.
Putin has been described as paranoid, while other reports suggest he is ill with cancer, with doctors constantly supervising him, although its is believed he has written a speech for his doppelgänger to deliver.
He has barely been seen these past few days, but footage has been released of him meeting President Sadyr Zhaparov of Kyrgyzstan, who will be attending the parade.
Putin revealed three years ago that he did once mull over the idea of using body doubles in the early 2000s – who were used by Josef Stalin and Leonid Brezhnev – but decided against it, saying: "I discarded the idea of any doubles.”