The former head of MI6, Sir Richard Dearlove, has stated that he is 'certain' Vladimir Putin employs body doubles to evade assassination, citing credible intelligence reports from Ukrainian secret service agencies. These reports suggest that Putin's body doubles are used for public appearances, particularly in situations where assassination fears are high. The speculation surrounding Putin's use of body doubles has been ongoing for years, alongside rumors of his ill health. However, recent intelligence assessments and heightened security risks have given this theory renewed credibility.
Sir Richard explained that the use of body doubles is a logical security measure for a high-profile target like Putin, especially given the history of assassination in Russian politics. He noted that Putin would be a prime drone target for the Ukrainians, making it essential to have a body double in certain circumstances. The Kremlin has historically dismissed such claims as conspiracy theories, but recent reports indicate that Russian security services have tightened protocols around the president's movements, with Putin's appearances becoming more choreographed and heavily filtered through state media.
According to Sir Richard, body doubles would not be used in close-contact diplomacy or sensitive meetings, where deception would be too difficult to sustain. However, he suggested that they could be used in situations like visiting a car factory or a children's playground, where the environment is less controlled and the press is at a distance. Ukrainian security services have claimed that several men with physical similarities to Putin have been trained to appear in his place, and AI technology has been used to analyze facial recognition and body movement, finding only a 53% match between the real Putin and a body double.
The use of body doubles is not limited to Putin; historical examples include Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, who used the actor and illusionist Felix Dadaev as a political decoy, and Iraqi tyrant Saddam Hussein, who had at least three body doubles according to a German forensic pathologist. Cuba's Fidel Castro also employed doppelgangers when he was sick and as decoys to evade assassination attempts. British leaders, such as Winston Churchill, have also used stand-ins for propaganda and espionage purposes, including a soldier with an uncanny resemblance to Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery to deceive the Germans over the Normandy invasion.
