The claim that Vladimir Putin uses one or more body doubles — lookalike stand-ins who appear at public events in place of the real president — has circulated persistently since at least 2015 and intensified after Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Proponents point to perceived variations in ear shape, facial proportions, gait, voice cadence, and posture across photographs and video appearances. Former Russian political science professor Valery Solovei has publicly made the claim in numerous interviews. The Kremlin denies it. No documentary evidence — photographic, biometric, or testimonial from a confirmed insider — has been produced that definitively establishes the existence of an operational double programme. The claim remains plausible-but-unverified given the opacity of the Russian presidency and the precedent of Soviet-era deception practices.