Kathrine Frich
A former British intelligence chief has now added fresh fuel to the debate
Questions about leaders’ personal security often intensify during wartime, when public appearances carry both political weight and physical risk.
In Russia’s case, speculation about how President Vladimir Putin protects himself has become a recurring theme.
A former British intelligence chief has now added fresh fuel to that debate, pointing to what he says is a long-standing playbook for high-value targets.
Security by deception
Former MI6 chief Sir Richard Dearlove said Putin “certainly” uses body doubles in some public settings, according to the Daily Express.
“There will be occasions, and it would depend on the circumstances, when he certainly, for security reasons, would have a body double,” Dearlove said.
He described it as “almost a normal security measure” for someone as exposed as Putin, adding:
“Bear in mind that assassination has been a pretty common part of Russian politics for many, many years.”
Where doubles appear
Dearlove argued doubles would be less likely in close-contact diplomacy or sensitive meetings, where maintaining the illusion would be harder.
He said they would be more plausible at outdoor events where journalists are kept at distance.
The Daily Express report said three images taken within roughly a month appear to show Putin with different chin shapes, presented as visual “proof” of possible doubles.
Ukrainian security services have previously claimed men resembling Putin have been trained to appear in his place, while Moscow denies the allegation.
AI and doubts
The report also referenced analysis by Japan’s TBS, which used AI-assisted facial comparison for several Putin appearances.
TBS said: “Experts on face recognition would refer to this as ‘not matching’ in most cases, which leads us to the assumption this could be a double.”
TBS added: “Expert analysis is clearly displaying the high probability of at least two body doubles.”
The same reporting suggested varying match scores across events, feeding continued debate over whether Putin uses stand-ins and how often.
Sources: Daily Express, The Sun.
