Conspiracy theories about Russian President Vladimir Putin using “body doubles” were addressed by the man himself during an interview with TASS news agency.
The leader — KGB trained in his youth — attempted to quash the idea that lookalikes are running around in an attempt to throw off security threats.
“Are you real?” a journalist asked in an interview that aired Thursday, Reuters reported.
“Yes,” he succinctly replied.
Mr. Putin ultimately conceded that using body doubles was an option that was offered to him by security officials, although he rejected the idea.
“I declined these body doubles,” he told journalist Andrei Vandenko. “This [offer in the early 2000s] was during the most difficult periods of the fight against terrorism.”
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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