The topic of Vladimir Putin’s possible use of body doubles has been repeatedly discussed in the media and among experts. Although the Kremlin officially denies the existence of doubles, some analysts and researchers point to possible signs of their use.

The Kremlin’s official position

The Kremlin consistently denies rumors about the use of body doubles. In October 2023, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated:

“This is absolutely yet another fake… This belongs to the category of absurd information fakes that are discussed with enviable persistence.”

In 2020, Putin himself noted in an interview with TASS that he had been offered to use doubles in the 2000s, but he refused.
>When asked by a journalist, “Are you the real one?” Putin replied, “Yes,” and then denied that he uses a double for public appearances for his own safety.
“I refused these stand-ins. This (proposal) was during the most difficult periods of the fight against terrorism,” Putin said, adding that he meant the early 2000s.

In December 2023, during a press conference, Putin answered a question about body doubles, noting:

“You can look like me and speak in my voice. But I thought and decided that only one person should look like me and speak in my voice. And that person will be me. That’s how one of our public figures joked,”

Putin said, noting that this was supposedly his “first double.”

Arguments “for” the existence of doubles

Voice and speech analysis

Claims about Putin’s doubles took a new turn after linguistic and voice analysis using artificial intelligence raised suspicions that he might be using them for public speeches.

David Pope, founder of Speech Craft Analytics, compared two important speeches by the Russian president: one from the World Russian People’s Council and an older one, on the occasion of Victory Day in Russia in May 2023.
The expert explained the logic of voice analysis in an exclusive interview with Daily Express US:

“Our voices are a bit like our fingerprints. We have identifiers, such as the use of the throat muscles. Your voice can be an indicator of identification.”

The analysis compared ten speaker-recognition features, and the results showed that seven out of these ten features were statistically different.
In particular, formants, the subtleties of vowel articulation, played a decisive role in distinguishing the two speakers.
From these results, Pope stated “with 99% confidence that this is a different speaker.”

This claim, backed by detailed AI analysis, added weight to the growing speculation around Putin’s public appearances.

Putin’s unusual behavior—such as a public appearance in Dagestan a few months ago, where he broke from his restrained demeanor to mingle with admirers—further fueled speculation. The departure from established norms, including handshakes, posing for selfies, and even kissing a girl on the cheek, raised questions about possible “stand-ins” for the Russian leader.

Nick Strogov, a journalist and human rights researcher, said:

“A prevailing consensus is forming in the professional community: the presidential administration may hire individuals resembling Putin for events that do not require his verbal interaction but demand his presence, particularly for photo ops.”

“Paranoid Putin ‘uses a stand-in,’ ‘taking selfies with fans’ in a strange appearance” — with this title, the same outlet ran a piece after Putin’s trip to the remote region of Dagestan.
>In a photo resembling a wax figure with Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov, published after their meeting in the Kremlin on June 27, Putin looked gaunt, pale, and thin — in stark contrast to how the Russian leader appeared just a few hours later, when he was filmed during a visit to the Dagestan region in the Caucasus.
>During his visit to the city of Derbent on the Caspian Sea, Putin seemed to have fuller, plumper cheeks, and energetically entered the excited crowd that had gathered to see him.

The president was captured on camera posing for photos with Russians, hugging well-wishers, and even kissing a teenage girl on the head.

In another video from the trip, a smiling Putin can be seen flying on a plane, but before that he shook hands with an officer and seemed to adjust something on his uniform.
It is believed that Putin had not previously been seen greeting his security personnel.

Commenting on the possibility that Putin uses stand-ins, a longtime Moscow diplomat said:

“It is becoming impossible to believe there is only one Putin. There are several — very good doubles, but they behave somewhat differently.

I assume the real one looks weak and ill, but smiles along with Kadyrov. The one who dives into the crowd in Dagestan behaves differently than the traditional Putin.”

Another detail fueling speculation is Putin’s willingness to approach others during his working trip, given that the Russian leader has carefully kept his distance from members of the public — and often from his allies — since March 2020.

Facial recognition

Japanese researchers used facial recognition technologies to analyze Putin’s appearance during various public events.
>Having analyzed different Putin speeches using modern AI technologies, Japanese experts concluded that the president of Russia likely has at least two doubles.

One of the doubles was identified as the “real” Putin, who attended the parade on Red Square in May 2023. Comparing the facial features of this Putin with the one who drove across the Crimean Bridge in a Mercedes in December 2022, the Japanese experts found only 53% similarity.

An even lower similarity, only 40%, was found between the “parade Putin” and the president who visited Mariupol in March 2023. State TV footage showed this Putin driving through the destroyed city, inspecting a residential complex construction site, talking to residents, and visiting what was said to be a three-room apartment, giving instructions to Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin.

According to the Japanese researchers, the similarity between Putin’s facial features in Mariupol and Putin on the Crimean Bridge was only 18%. Their AI-based analysis “clearly indicates” the likelihood of at least two Putin doubles.

Such a publication appeared on Anton Gerashchenko’s X (formerly Twitter).

The researchers also stated that the similarity between Putin’s facial features in Mariupol and those seen on the Crimean Bridge was only 18 percent — Newsweek wrote.

Shinji Hyodo, scientific secretary of Japan’s National Institute for Defense Studies, said, according to the British newspaper Metro: “Personally, I found it interesting that many people said the person who visited Mariupol was not Putin himself.

And here we see a scientific analysis that confirms this view. There is only an 18-percent similarity in facial recognition between Putin on the Crimean Bridge and Putin in Mariupol,” Hyodo added.

Putin’s voice analysis was also carried out at the Laboratory of the Japan Audio Communications Institute. The analysis focused on voice biometrics, particularly the word “spasibo” (“thank you”), which “Putin” pronounced on different occasions.

According to the publication, researchers found that the “Putin” who spoke at the Eurasian Economic Forum in Moscow in May 2023 — considered to be the real leader — showed distinct vocal characteristics from three additional instances of “Putin’s” speeches. The researchers stated they concluded Putin’s voice at the forum differed from other public appearances.

Expert Mutsutoshi Muraoka said, according to Metro: “There is a difference in recording conditions, as well as in the utterance itself, but such strong differences are still extremely rare. At this point, we must say that the likelihood that these two voices belong to different people is high.”

Editorial fact-check:
In the Newsweek article, no direct quote from Shinji Hyodo regarding doubles was found. Metro also did not publish statements by Mutsutoshi Muraoka about Putin’s vocal analysis. Open sources do not confirm that these experts actually made the cited statements.

Observations by Ukrainian intelligence

In 2022, the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR), Kyrylo Budanov, stated that Putin uses at least three doubles:
The Kremlin uses people who underwent plastic surgeries to resemble the Russian dictator. Major General Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, said this to Daily Mail.
>The head of Ukraine’s military intelligence said that in the past, Putin doubles had already been detected, replacing him in “special cases,” but now this is “common practice.”

“We know of three individuals who appear regularly, but we do not know how many there are. They all had plastic surgery to look alike. The only thing that gives them away is their height. This is visible in videos and photos. Also gestures, body language, and earlobes, since they are unique to each person,”

noted the head of the HUR.

Arguments “against” the existence of doubles

Snopes — analysis of Putin’s chin

Snopes analyzed images of Putin’s chin used to support double theories and concluded that these images are not convincing evidence of the use of doubles. Since different frames from the same video material prove that the man who visited occupied Mariupol was indeed Putin, changes in his appearance can largely be explained by age and camera angles.

“The images of Putin’s chin are not convincing evidence of the use of doubles.”

— Snopes

Reuters — fact-checking Putin’s photos

Reuters conducted a fact-check of Putin’s photos used to support double theories. They found that some images were mislabeled or taken from different periods, which could mislead about changes in Putin’s appearance.

“The first photograph used for comparison is more than three years old. It was taken in February 2020 by Mikhail Metzel for the Russian news agency TASS, and was used in an article published by the BBC the same month.
The second and third photos are frames taken from video footage of Putin’s visit to Mariupol. In both he is wearing the same jacket.
Videos of the Mariupol visit, published by CNN and Reuters, show angles (at timestamps 3:27 and 1:01 respectively) similar to those in the widely shared images taken in Mariupol.
VERDICT
Mislabeled. Photos of Vladimir Putin have incorrect captions with false dates and locations.”

Jeffrey Edmonds — former CIA analyst

Jeffrey Edmonds, former director for Russia on the U.S. National Security Council, believes that changes in Putin’sbehavior may be related to his emotional state or stress.
“I don’t see any truly credible evidence that Putin is ill. But I and others observe clear changes in his behavior — he has become more emotional and irritable publicly.” — Business Insider

These views suggest that changes in Putin’s appearance and behavior may have different explanations, including age-related changes, health, or cosmetic procedures, and are not convincing evidence that he uses doubles.

Why assumptions about doubles arise

The psychology of authoritarianism. A history of using doubles

Analyst Mark Galeotti has commented on rumors about Putin’s use of doubles. In his article for The Spectator dated December 28, 2023, he noted:

“Of course, there are strong grounds to assume that Putin has at least one. His security has always been extraordinarily paranoid, as evidenced by phalanxes of Presidential Security Service officers in black suits and earpieces. Having lived on Kutuzovsky Prospekt, one of the vast arteries leading to central Moscow, along which his convoy would speed to his country palace at Novo-Ogaryovo and back, I can attest to the thoroughness of the precautions: from snipers taking positions on rooftops to checks of manhole covers along the route.”

In an isolated regime where information control is absolute, any anomaly in the leader’s behavior or appearance is perceived as a reason for rumors. This is part of the broader phenomenon of the “symbolic ruler,” where the image matters more than the person.

For example, Latif Yahia, a former Iraqi army officer, claims he was forced to become the body double of Uday Hussein, son of Saddam Hussein, undergoing plastic surgery and training to imitate his behavior. These claims were covered by BBC News. The outlet published the exile’s assertion that he was forced to become a “fidai” — or double — for Uday Hussein in 1983.

It is hardly unusual that autocrats have doubles — as a shield against assassination or simply as convenient stand-ins to perform more tedious and less important duties. Stalin had at least several; Panama’s dictator Manuel Noriegaapparently had no fewer than four. North Korea’s dictator Kim Jong Un was once photographed talking to two of his identically dressed doubles.

Of course, there are strong grounds to assume that Putin has at least one. His security has always been extraordinarily paranoid, as evidenced by phalanxes of Presidential Security Service officers in black suits and earpieces. — The Spectator

The idea of “doubles” is not new for Russia

Felix Dadaev, a former ballet dancer and juggler, was recruited by Soviet special services to act as Stalin’s double. He appeared at public events, in motorcades, and in newsreels, imitating the leader’s appearance and behavior. In 2008, after decades of silence, Dadaev published memoirs in which he spoke about his role. He also said that Stalin had several other doubles.

Putin’s frequent absence from the public sphere

In 2022–2023, there were extended periods when Putin was absent from the information space. This provoked rumors that spread easily in Telegram channels and social networks.
Thus, the assumption that Putin might use a similar practice is not unprecedented.

The political significance of Putin’s persona

Putin is not only a politician but a symbol of an entire political system. His “inability” to appear publicly at certain moments or unusual behavior can be interpreted as weakness — which is unacceptable in the logic of the Kremlin’s cult of strength.

Theories about doubles are more than just speculation: they are part of the collective imagination fueled by a lack of transparency in authoritarian systems. Changes in voice, behavior, or appearance may be due to age, medical, or situational factors.

The topic remains a matter of debate. There are both technical arguments in favor of the “doubles” version and serious caveats about their unreliability. All claims should be treated critically, given the limited access to independent information in authoritarian systems.