Putin's China Trip Sparks Body Double Conspiracy Theory

Footage of Russian President Vladimir Putin arriving at the Beijing Capital International Airport on Tuesday has reignited conspiracy theories that the Kremlin leader uses a body double.

Putin, who was invited by Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend the third Belt and Road forum in Beijing, was welcomed on Tuesday with pomp and ceremony at the airport, shaking hands with Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and a group of officials who stood nearby a red carpet that was laid out for his arrival. But the 71-year-old Russian leader's mannerisms again led to questions about whether Putin had sent a body double to the event in his place.

"'PUTIN' has arrived to China," Jason Jay Smart, a political adviser on post-Soviet and international politics, wrote to X (formerly Twitter) alongside a video of Putin exiting his aircraft.

"Do you think it is REALLY Vladimir Putin, or 'Putin-the-body-double,' arriving to beg for Chinese assistance??" Smart continued. "Looking at his movement & knowing Putin's fear of COVID: I think this is the body-double Putin."

Ukrainian officials have repeatedly claimed that Putin utilizes body doubles amid rumors that his health is deteriorating. Misinformation and secrecy surrounding Putin's current state of health have also sparked rumors that Putin has designated possible successors in the chance he passes, although such claims are unsubstantiated.

The Kremlin has dismissed such allegations regarding body doubles, and Newsweek has not found evidence to support them. That did not stop several accounts on X Tuesday from speculating if Putin may have sent a look-a-like to China, however, including one user who responded to Smart's post, "100% a double. Putin is not that spry."

"Def the weird painted side-hair double," user Mickey McAllister commented under Smart's post.

"Is that Putin? Or body double? Reports were that Putin was SO ill & successor was being selected," another user wrote in response to a video of Putin's arrival at the Bejing airport by journalist Euan MacDonald.

Newsweek contacted Russia's Foreign Ministry via email for comment Tuesday.

In an email to Newsweek, Smart double-downed on his post to X, saying that it is "likely that Putin has dispatched a body-double to fill-in for him in Beijing."

"The Russian dictator's distinctive gait, normally, is hard to miss: However, today it was not visible. Rather, Putin is seen walking about as if he was a normal person," Smart wrote. The Russian president is known to often walk with a stiff leg, another factor that has fueled questions about his health in the past.

"Why would Putin use a body-double? Since COVID, Putin is known to be hyper-cautious about interacting with others, in person, as he fears becoming ill," Smart continued. "Moreover, a number of intelligence reports have indicated that Putin may be suffering from other ailments which would be compounded if he were to fall sick."