Moscow, December 8: Russian President Vladimir Putin uses body doubles and a ‘clean zone’ where his staff have to isolate before meeting him. The recent claims were published by the Russian media outlet Proekt. This is not the first time such claims were made regarding Vladimir Putin and his deteriorating health and the use of body doubles. Last month,  Mirror reported, citing a statement from a Telegram channel, General SVR - which tracks the Kremlin, that Vladimir Putin suffered a 'cardiac arrest' and collapsed in his bedroom.

The Daily Mail reported that the ‘clean zone’ is a place where only quarantined people can live and work. They can move around the area but not leave it. The first ‘clean zone’ was set up at the Sochi sanatorium ‘Rus’. Later, more ‘clean zones’ were created in other places the president visited. The investigation analyzed 521 official events that Putin attended from November 1 last year to October 31 this year. It found that in 43 percent of them, Putin kept a noticeable distance from others. It also found that he had 113 video meetings in the year, which covered most of the Security Council and government meetings. Russia President Vladimir Putin Collapses in Bedroom After Suffering Heart Attack, Say Reports.

The report further stated that when Vladimir Putin has to talk to people face-to-face, the Kremlin takes ‘extreme security measures’. The investigation also found that in 185 meetings, almost 36 per cent of the total, Putin did not distance himself but ‘probably made others quarantine’. The investigation coincided with Putin’s strange decision to stay 70 feet away from Britain’s new ambassador to Russia, Nigel Casey, at a diplomatic event this week. He said it was for ‘sanitary reasons’. Vladimir Putin Health Update: Russian President Receiving Chemotherapy for Cancer, Confirm Leaked US Documents.

Putin and the other diplomats were far apart at the Kremlin ceremony, where he received the credentials of several new ambassadors to Russia. This reminded people of the peak of the Covid pandemic. There have been many reports of Putin using body doubles since Ukraine was invaded. Proekt noted that before the coronavirus pandemic, Putin’s schedule had almost no events where he was far from the people around him. This was different from his behaviour during the period of the investigation.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 08, 2023 11:33 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).