Vladimir Putin entered a cheering crowd and posed for photographs with fans during a rare meet-and-greet in Russia - sparking speculation over whether the president is using a body double.
Visiting the city of Derbent on Wednesday on the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha, the Russian president broke from convention to interact with people in a large crowd - shaking hands, posing for selfies, and even kissing a girl on the cheek.
The rare behaviour from the secretive and reserved Russian leader, who typically observes a fastidious personal security regime, prompted speculation it was carried out not by him but by a “very good lookalike”.
A Russian diplomat reportedly told MailOnline: “It is getting impossible to believe that there is only one Putin.
By the way I'm not buying that #Putin was really in #Dagestan.
— Tim White (@TWMCLtd) June 28, 2023
Following in the true Soviet traditions of Lenin and Stalin before him, I strongly suspect a body double was given the task of heading south to the Republic which is not always peaceful. pic.twitter.com/HHEArWNsBS
“There are several - very good lookalikes, yet they behave somewhat differently,
“This one diving into the crowd in Dagestan behaves differently to the traditional Putin.”
Ukrainian journalist Jason Jay Smart wrote on Twitter: “The real Putin doesn’t meet folks unless they do quarantine for a week & now doesn’t even meet senior staff without bodyguards. Putin surely wouldn’t mix with a crowd.”
Commentator Viktor Alksnis told MailOnline: “Why is Putin meeting with visitors in the Kremlin after their two-week quarantine and at a great distance, while in Derbent is calmly into the crowd and even hugs and kisses some citizens?
“How can the physical security of the president be ensured under such conditions? Something is not right here.”
Others have suggested the unusual display was simply an attempt by Putin to repair damage to his authority, brought about by an uprising staged by his Wagner private army at the weekend.
Putin met with military staff in the Kremlin on Tuesday before flying to the Caspian city of Derbent, situated in the mostly Muslim region of Dagestan.
He visited an ancient citadel and a historic mosque, and met with officials, before walking into cheering crowds next to a fountain.
