UKRAINE says it is a "fact" that Vladimir Putin uses body doubles as the tyrant faces a public mocking over his "butt filler" cheeks.
Kyiv has waded into the widespread speculation that the Russian despot uses doppelgangers to argue that his "unstable" regime is on the brink of collapse.
For years, the health of Putin has been the subject of sordid speculation as questions have been raised over his changing facial features and emerging signs of a possible serious illness.
Now, Ukraine's spy agency has argued that the Kremlin absolutely uses body doubles in place of Putin following weeks of bizarre rumours that the Russian leader died.
Ukrainian military intelligence spokesperson, Andriy Yusov, said: “It's not just possible, he has doubles.
“This is a fact.”
read more on Vladimir putin
CHEEK OF IT
Putin sparks surgery rumours after appearing with swollen ‘butt filler’ cheeks
BLAST DAMAGE
Ukrainian kamikaze drone boats blitz two Russian ships in first-person vid
He added that "we can be sure" that Putin employs three doubles and that this was a clear sign that the Russian regime was "not stable".
The Kremlin tries to portray its image as “the Big Brother who is watching you," he said, "but in reality, is not big and it is not your brother – and may not be even him.
“This also means that the Kremlin is scared.
“It shows their fear and understanding that their construction is a house of cards that stands on the image of Putin the dictator.
Most read in The Sun
CLUB ROW
Moment Tom Daley’s husband ‘grabs’ BBC star’s arm in front of Love Island ex Amber
FINAL GOODBYE
Home And Away star Johnny Ruffo dies aged just 35 after brain cancer battle
THE LOST GIRL
Inside the appalling murder of missing teen Charlene Downes in Blackpool
WHERE EVIL BEGAN
Inside lair where Hamas plotted Israeli kibbutz atrocity with 3D model
“If you take away the crutches in the form of Putin's doubles, the construction would fall apart and show itself to be very unstable."
In terms of Putin, Yusov believes it shows his "fear of communicating" as he laughed at his use of a comically huge table that leaves a gaping distance between himself and visitors.
But Ukraine had no proof of the widely-reported but strange claims of Putin's death last month.
“As for the information from the anonymous Telegram channels that [Putin] is dead, sadly we still cannot confirm this information,” he said.
It comes as Putin emerged in a recent TV appearance with swollen cheeks that look like he used "butt filler" to cling onto his youth or possibly disguise ongoing health issues.
The internet was filled with jokes mocking Putin for using "butt implants" or being "stung by bees" as he struggled to smile through his potentially Botox-stuffed face.
Putin's alleged use of cosmetic surgery has long been viewed by his enemies as a means for him to hide possible health issues, including rumours of cancer and Parkinson's disease.
At the end of October, the Kremlin was forced to issue an extraordinary denial after false reports swirled that Putin had died.
Claims first surfaced on Telegram that the Russian leader had died at his Valdai palace, just north of Moscow, and that his body was stashed in a freezer.
Ukrainian intelligence then alleged that Putin faked his own death in a bizarre bid to test his popularity among the Russian public.
The head of Ukrainian military intelligence, Lt-Gen Kyrylo Budanov, alleged that the real Putin hadn’t been seen since June 2022.
He said last month: “The one, who everyone used to know, was last seen around 26 June 2022.”
Last month, a Japanese study using high-tech AI analysis claimed to have finally 'proved' that Putin uses body doubles.
The breakthrough research relied on facial recognition, voice comparison and body movements to indicate there are several different Vlads.
These fakes are rumoured to have undergone plastic surgery and training by his ex-KGB secret service to impersonate the iron-fist ruler.
The Sun has previously analysed a series of tell-tale clues that internet sleuths believe prove Putin is dead and body doubles are being used in his stead.
These included the crucial watch error where he forget which wrist his watch was on, despite always infamously wearing the £12,500 Russian-made Raketa on his right arm.
And Ukraine has repeatedly pointed at the tyrant's changing ears as proof of his doppleganger deception.
Footage of the warlord displaying odd behaviour and changes in his appearance have left people questioning whether the conspiracy theories could be true.
In March, a completely different looking Vlad took a trip to occupied Mariupol as footage of the event that showed the inconsistencies in his face went viral.
And perhaps most notably, Putin's sagging chin has been a constant talking point.
In some footage, his chin appears tight and neat and in others it drupes – appearing to confirm his use of lookalikes.
Putin’s spokesman has been forced into a succession of denials that the Kremlin uses a body double to disguise his ailing health.
It comes as a desperate Putin had been seen visiting his war command headquarters for the second time in three weeks amid setbacks in the war.
However, two former Putin associates, Sergei Zhirnov and Abbas Gallyamov, have also tried to expose the despot for using stand-ins.
He flew to Rostov-on-Don amid reports Ukraine is moving equipment as well as troops across the Dnipro River to previously Russian-occupied territory.
Meanwhile, a Ukrainian kamikaze drone strike targeted western Crimea and reportedly hit a Russian barracks and high-speed landing boats.
Read More on The Sun
GET THEM IN
I'm A Celeb official line-up as Nigel Farage and Britney's sis head into jungle
CLOSING TIME
Major DIY homeware chain to shut store doors permanently before Christmas
This follows a claim by Oleksii Danilov, Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council Secretary, that Kyiv is making “huge gains” in blitzing Russian military assets in occupied Crimea.
"Currently, we are having great success in the Crimea direction,” he said.
Source: Read Full Article
