Former spy chief from Ukraine claims Putin uses 'body doubles' over assassination fears

A former spy chief from Ukraine, claims that Russian President Vladimir Putin is using 'body doubles' as he is scared of getting assassinated. Lt. Gen Kondratiuk, a former chief of Ukraine’s military and foreign intelligence made these claims during a conversation with the Ukrainian news outlet, Kyiv Post. In the interview, the ex-Ukrainian military head called the Russian President a “madman” and a “tyrant who is obsessed about his security.”

Calling the alleged body doubles, “puppets", Kondratiuk claimed that Moscow is being run by such “puppets”. Last year, it was reported that the Russian President had managed to survive an assassination attempt after Putin’s car was attacked. Rumours of the depleting health of the 70-year-old Russian President have been circulated in the past as well. 

“A person who has been in power for a long time, any tyrant, tries to take additional measures for his own security,” the former Ukrainian chief told Kyiv Post.

“In order to prevent terrorist acts during public events, such as visiting public places or meetings, he often uses doubles. The real Putin is where he meets with the defence minister at a large table, where the distance between him and [Sergei] Shoigu is far enough,” he added.

Kondratiuk also lashed out at the Russian President and claimed that Putin is “personally responsible” for the Russia-Ukraine war. “He is personally responsible for the amount of grief and tragedy that has occurred because of his decisions. I don’t think any double would be as crazy and support it. If Putin is gone, then it’s crazy to support this war. I don’t even see anyone in Putin’s environment who would be interested in continuing his policy,” he said. 

Ukrainian bloc continues to speculate 

This was not the first time that a Ukrainian questioned Putin’s public appearances. Last month, Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy took a jab at the Russian President, questioning whether Putin was “still alive”. "I don’t understand that he’s still alive or that it is him, particularly making decisions," Zelenskyy said. After the bold remarks from the Ukrainian President, Kremlin quickly decided to hit back.

"It is clear that both Russia and Putin are a big problem for today's Ukraine and for Zelensky," Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the Russian news outlet Tass. Reiterating that the Russian President is still alive, the Kremlin spokesperson asserted, "It is likewise clear that purely psychologically, Mr Zelenskyy would prefer that neither Russia nor Putin ever existed.”

According to Mirror UK, Ukrainian General Kyrylo Budanov also claimed that the Russian President employed look-alikes and have undergone plastic surgery. “We know specifically about three people who keep appearing, but how many there are, we don’t know,” he said. “They all had plastic surgery to look alike,” he added.