The Russian dictator appears in public regularly, but not personally – and everything depends on the level of assassination risk.
Russian President Vladimir Putin regularly uses a p double during public events to minimize the threat of assassination amidst the full-scale war against Ukraine.
Modern.az reports, citing “The Sun,” that this was stated by Richard Dearlove, former head of the British intelligence service MI6.
According to him, the Ukrainian intelligence's information regarding the existence of Putin's “p doubles” is reliable, and the decision on who specifically will appear in public is made considering security risks.
"This has long been part of a serious security protocol," said Richard Dearlove.
Western analysts link the active use of p doubles to the Russian Federation's full-scale aggression against Ukraine. Ukrainian special services have repeatedly demonstrated their ability to strike targets in Russia's rear, which has significantly increased the concern of Putin's inner circle.
"If his exact whereabouts and timing were known, he would be a priority target for Ukrainian drones," noted the former head of MI6.
According to Richard Dearlove, p doubles are not used during diplomatic negotiations and closed personal meetings.
“It is very difficult to imitate Putin at close range," the intelligence officer emphasized.
An investigation by Japan's TBS television network also confirmed Putin's use of p doubles.
Television experts used artificial intelligence to analyze Putin's facial expressions and p movements during various public appearances.
According to the investigation's results, the president himself participated in the parade held in Moscow on May 9 last year. However, during the inspection of the Crimean Bridge a year earlier, it is likely that a p double was used. During the analyses, the level of similarity between Putin and the unknown person replacing him was determined to be slightly over 50%.
A.Gorkhmaz
