There has been speculation about Vladimir Putin's condition since the start of the Ukraine war at the latest.
Now a picture of the President of Russia is causing a stir.
Moscow – The Ukraine war is also a fight for information sovereignty.
While the sometimes bizarre war propaganda on Russian state TV repeatedly attracts attention, there are also regular unsubstantiated claims from Ukraine that serve their own narrative.
Most recently, an appearance by Vladimir Putin with high-heeled shoes caused a stir.
What's behind it?
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This photo fueled the narrative that Putin uses doubles at public events.
© Maksim Mishin/imago
Conspiracy stories in the Ukraine war: "Fake Putin"
The trigger was a recording of Putin during a visit to the Lomonosov State University in Moscow.
This shows the Russian President wearing high-heeled shoes.
"Fake Putin," Jason Smart, a correspondent at the Kyiv Post, commented on the picture on Twitter.
“Putin wears high heels.
He always does this when he is with groups that are smaller than he should be," writes Smart, putting Putin's height at 1.70 meters.
However, it appears that a double takes part in most public events.
"The changes in size, ears and weight are otherwise inexplicable."
Vladimir Putin: The political career of the Russian head of state in pictures
Vladimir Putin: The political career of the Russian head of state in pictures
Doppelganger narrative: Ukraine spreads conspiracy story about Putin
This tale is by no means new.
As early as October 2022, the head of the Ukrainian military intelligence service, Kyrylo Budanov, made a corresponding statement.
He is aware of three look-alikes who have all had plastic surgeries to look like Putin, he said in an interview with Britain's
Daily Mail
.
Budanov also named height as a feature to identify the real Russian president.
Amid ongoing speculation about Putin's possible illness, the officer even questioned "whether the real Putin still exists."
Neither Budanov nor Smart provided evidence for their claims.
Instead of serious theories, their statements are in any case a current example of the extent to which Ukraine is trying to shape public discourse.
Ultimately, behind the stories about health and doppelgangers is the assumption that a weak Putin can only help the end of the Ukraine war.
(vbu)
List of rubrics: © Maksim Mishin/imago
