Pictures of Vladimir Putin’s Chin Spark Conspiracy Theories

Vladimir Putin may have wanted to be seen leading with his chin, but the facial feature has fueled speculation about whether his appearance in the Moscow-occupied city of Mariupol was the real deal.

“Which one do you think is the real one?” tweeted Ukrainian internal affairs adviser Anton Geraschchenko next to a montage of three images of the Russian leader with the bottom of his head circled.

The pictures compared Putin’s profile taken on the trip to the southern Ukrainian port city on Saturday with appearances in the Crimean city of Sevastopol the day before, and in Moscow on February 21.

It sparked a thread in which some remarked that last month’s image showed Putin with a tighter chin than the one he had displayed over the last few days.

Another raised questions about how the hairline in each of the images “doesn’t look the same.” Andriy Yusov, from Ukrainian military intelligence, told the Kyiv Post that “a man that looks like Putin visited Mariupol.”

Although never proven, there have been repeated claims throughout his invasion of Ukraine that Putin body doubles have been used. Video has reemerged of former Russian commander, Igor Girkin, saying that appearances in which Putin is meeting members of the public are fake.

The head of Ukrainian military intelligence Kyrylo Budanov said last year that Putin had at least three lookalikes who had undergone plastic surgery to more closely resemble the Russian leader.

Ukrainian Major General Vadym Skibitsky has also claimed that Putin uses body doubles, saying “sometimes it is difficult to detect if it is the real Putin or someone replacing him.”

The Kremlin said that during the “spontaneous” visit to the port city which had been bombarded by his forces last year, Putin visited a rebuilt musical theater and spoke with residents. Video also shows him driving a car. However, some social media users raised doubts about the authenticity of the visit, especially as Putin is seen driving a vehicle without the roads being blocked off.

Journalist Anna Mongayt shared a clip on Telegram of Putin meeting with residents and a woman off camera can be heard yelling, “It’s not true! It’s all for show!” The audio was reportedly later edited out by Russian state media.

Meanwhile, Telegram channel General SVR, which says it has inside sources, insisted Putin had not been to Sevastopol or Mariupol.

“The information from the Kremlin resources that Vladimir Putin visited Crimea and Mariupol is NOT true,” General SVR said in the post written in English on Monday. “A double of the president appeared in Crimea with a short visit, solely for the sake of video and photo sessions.”

It said that Putin is “haunted” by the images of Ukrainian president Volodmyr Zelensky at the forefront of his troops’ military efforts which have included a visit to Bakhmut, the center of an ongoing fierce fight.

Newsweek has contacted the Kremlin for comment.