Russian President Vladimir Putin has confirmed that he was given a chance of using a body double during a public appearance for security purposes but turned down the offer and has at no time has he ever had one.
Putin says he doesn’t use a body double
The 67-year old has been subject to various conspiracy theories that he uses a body double or even sometimes an army of them. All these are unsubstantiated claims that Putin, who has been at the helm of Russian politics, has quashed. There is al elaborate theory that has compared photos of Putin over the years that indicates that there have been individuals identified on several occasions posing as Putin.
The issue of Putin using body double came up during an interview conducted by Andrei Vandenko for Russia’s TASS news agency. Vendenko pointed to Putin that there have been rumors that he uses body double and even showed him internet searches associated with him.
Vendenko asked Putin, “Are you real?” Putin replied that he is and went on to quash claims that he uses a lookalike for security purposes during public appearances. He, however, indicated that he was once offered the opportunity.
Putin offered the opportunity of lookalike during the war in Chechnya
However, he indicated that he declined the opportunity of body doubles. The former KGB agent said that he was offered the opportunity in the early 2000s during difficult periods of fighting against terrorism. During the early 2000s, the country was engaged in a war against separatists in Chechnya. In December of 1999, Putin had visited Russian troops in Chechnya after his predecessor Boris Yeltsin had resigned.
Putin also confirmed that he has continued to shun the opportunity to have a personal mobile phone. He added that he is comfortable, depending on the protected means of communication. He said that he can access a special phone that can connect to any number he would like to connect to.
Putin is currently the longest-serving Russian leader in this century since Joseph Stalin, who had ruled over two decades.