The fact that Russia’s president, Vladmir Putin, is very concerned about how he appears is nothing new.
He has repeatedly taken photographers with him on exotic holidays, where he has willingly and staged posed with wild animals such as polar bears and tigers. Not to mention his shirtless poses on horseback.
HORSE BACK: Putin became notorious for posing shirtless on horseback. Here from Siberia in 2009. Photo: RIA Novosti/Alexei Druzhinin
At 70, his days on horseback are probably numbered, but maintaining the impression of being a strong and manly leader is just as important. That is exactly what Putin is willing to go to great lengths to maintain, says Tom Røseth, head teacher in intelligence at the Norwegian Defense Academy:
– Anything that weakens the image of Putin as a strong leader can undermine his regime, Røseth points out.
Now Russia’s president is accused of not only staging images, but of using actors to pretend to be everything from ordinary Russians to soldiers who have served in Ukraine.
CRITICAL: Critic Igor Sushko writes on his Twitter: “In case you were wondering how Putin can risk meeting ordinary Russian people. He never does.” Photo: Screenshot Twitter
Many people have noticed how there are apparently several people who over the years repeat themselves in Putin’s alleged meetings with the Russian people.
– It is absolutely possible that there are repeated people who act close to Vladimir Putin and who pretend to be “ordinary people”, but who are actually people from his security guard, Røseth believes.
WAR HEROES? Russian President Vladimir Putin gave his New Year’s address in front of what he believes are war heroes who served in Ukraine. However, several accuse them of seeming a little too familiar from previous propaganda… Photo: Kremlin/Reuters
FISHERMEN? Several believe that the lady who was given an award on New Year’s Eve as a soldier is also here as a fisherman on a previous occasion. That, along with three other actors who recur in Putin’s propaganda images. Photo: Kremlin
CHURCH GANGS? In 2015, this photo from an Easter service was published by the Kremlin. Several are now pointing to how frighteningly similar the four actors are from previous propaganda images. Photo: Kremlin
Paranoid and afraid of Covid
– Why is Putin possibly doing this, rather than meeting real people?
– There are two reasons for this: Putin is very afraid of Covid-19 and his own health, and he is afraid of his own safety, says Tom Røseth and explains:
– In order to be in close proximity to Putin, one must first be in isolation for a certain period to be sure of illness. It is also because he is so afraid of Covid-19 that he keeps a great distance when he appears in public.
EXPERT: Tom Røseth is the head teacher in intelligence at the Norwegian Defense Academy, and follows the war in Ukraine closely. Photo: Martin Fønnebø / TV 2
Russian authorities try to underplay and undermine this horror, Røseth points out.
– Putin has shown signs of illness that are not, and never will be, confirmed. His health is a state secret. Fear and measures such as distance are attempted to be twisted into a demonstration of power and authority.
ICONIC: This image went around the world, when the President of France, Emmanuel Macron (right), met Putin on 7 February in Moscow, in an attempt to counter Russia’s then upcoming invasion of Ukraine. Putin kept a surprisingly large distance. Photo: Sputnik/AFP
The security aspect is also significant, explains the head teacher in intelligence.
– If you are an authoritarian leader, as Vladimir Putin is, you do not suddenly act together with people. Even with your own state apparatus and the military, you want to secure yourself as best as possible. This is in stark contrast to, for example, Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyi.
– Is Putin so paranoid that he doesn’t even trust his own military?
– It is difficult for me to say with certainty, but it is clear that Putin wants to make sure that no one gets a sudden impulse to harm him, announces Røseth.
– Ridiculous attempt to copy Zelenskyj
Comparing Putin to Ukraine’s president, Zelensky, is something many do. The head of the Center for Civil liberties, which was one of the recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022, believes that Putin made a ridiculously bad attempt to copy Zelenskyj. Oleksandra Matviichuk writes on her Twitter profile:
“Putin wanted to copy Zelenskyj, who came to the Ukrainian defenders in Bakhmut. But after ten months of war, there is even a shortage of actors in Russia.»
Matviichuk attaches photos that show how one woman in particular appears in Putin’s photos – both in the guise of apparently being a fisherman, a churchgoer and now a soldier.
PEACE PRIZE WINNER: Head of the Center for Civil Liberties, which received the Nobel Peace Prize, Oleksandra Matviichuk is among those who accuse Putin of using actors. Photo: Screenshot Twitter
JOURNALIST: Belarusian journalist Tadeusz Giczan also notes how the woman appears to recur in Putin’s propaganda images. “A soldier, a sailor and a devout Christian. The ways of the Lord are unsearchable.” Photo: Screenshot Twitter
The Norwegian Defense Academy’s Tom Røseth fully approves of the peace prize winner:
– Putin sees how the visit to Bakhmut strengthens Zelenskyj and tries to do the same, but fails. It becomes more staccato, as well as the fact that he apparently rather recycles people who are fit to meet him in terms of health and safety than actually meeting those who have served in Ukraine.
AT THE FRONT: 20 December 2022, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyj, visited his soldiers at the front in Bakhmut. Bakhmut has become the new epicenter of the war in Ukraine. Photo: STRINGER
