Former head of British military intelligence Richard Dearlove has stated that he is “certain” Russian President Vladimir Putin uses body doubles during some public appearances to reduce the risk of assassination.
Speaking to The Sun, the former MI6 chief said the use of stand-ins would be a logical and “normal” security measure for a leader as high-profile and heavily targeted as Putin, particularly amid Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
“There will be occasions, depending on the circumstances, when for security reasons he will certainly use a body double,” Dearlove said.
Heightened Security Risks During the Ukraine War
Dearlove noted that assassination has long been a feature of Russian political life, and that the risks facing Putin have increased significantly since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
“He would be a drone target for the Ukrainians if they knew exactly where he was,” Dearlove said, adding that using body doubles in certain situations is entirely logical.
However, he emphasized that body doubles would not be used in close-contact environments, such as diplomatic meetings, where deception would be difficult to maintain. Instead, they are more likely to appear during public, outdoor, or loosely controlled events.
“If someone is walking around a car factory or visiting a children’s playground—especially outdoors and with the press at a distance—those are the kinds of situations where Putin would use a double,” he explained.
Longstanding Speculation and Intelligence Claims
Speculation about Putin’s alleged use of body doubles has circulated for years, often alongside rumors concerning his health. Ukrainian security services have repeatedly claimed that several men resembling Putin in body type, gait, and facial structure have been trained to appear in his place.
Western officials and security analysts have also pointed to increasingly choreographed public appearances and tightened security protocols surrounding the Russian leader.
In 2023, Japan’s TBS television network conducted an artificial intelligence–assisted analysis of Putin’s public appearances, focusing on facial recognition and body movement patterns. The analysis concluded that Putin likely attended Moscow’s Victory Day parade in person, but suggested that a different individual may have inspected the Crimean Bridge months earlier.
According to TBS:
- The AI analysis found a 53% match between the two appearances.
- A visit to Mariupol showed a 40% match.
- Images from Crimea showed only an 18% similarity, leading experts to conclude that at least two body doubles were likely involved.
Ukrainian Intelligence: Body Doubles Underwent Plastic Surgery
In October 2022, Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s military intelligence, claimed that Putin was using body doubles who had undergone plastic surgery to resemble him.
“This is now common practice. We know of at least three individuals who regularly appear, but we do not know how many there are,” Budanov said.
“They all had plastic surgery to look identical.”
Budanov added that differences in height, body language, gestures, and ears—which he described as unique to each individual—remain the main indicators distinguishing the doubles.
He previously linked the alleged use of body doubles to efforts to conceal potential health problems faced by the Russian president.
