Vladimir Putin has complained his old friends no longer recognise him amid speculation the Russian President regularly uses body doubles.
Putin, 71, made his grievances clear as he addressed an audience in Russia’s Chukotka region.
He said: “When I [very occasionally] meet my classmates or fellow university students, they often look at me and say - ‘I don't believe it, is it actually you, or not you?’
“You see, a person doesn't always know how they would behave when they find themselves at a certain level of responsibility.”
Vladimir Putin's friends struggle to recognise him sometimes
GETTY
However, Putin’s comments come after years of speculation about his health.
It has even been suggested the Russian President uses body doubles.
Dr Valery Solovey, a former professor at Moscow’s Institute of International Relations, went even further by claiming the 71-year-old is dead.
He has previously claimed Putin has been fully replaced by doppelgangers.
Dr Solovey believes Putin died in October 2023 with his body stored in a freezer.
He argues security chief Nikolai Patrushev is secretly running the Kremlin.
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Dr Valery Solovey, a former professor at Moscow’s Institute of International Relations, claims Putin is dead
GettyDr Solovey said: “The so-called 'Putin' publicly complained that his friends no longer recognised him and believed that they were dealing with a double.”
Defending his extraordinary claim, he told Ukrainian TV: “He is in a freezer. He was moved in December to a new refrigerator…to one designed to store bodies.
“That's the only change that applies to him after his death [in October].
“There were no other changes. So all of the information I have given you remains the same. And there's no chance of him being resurrected.”
Spokesman Dimitry Peskov spoke out against the claims which circulated via Telegram channel General SVRGETTYSolovey believes Putin’s speculated death will be announced later this year.
He also claimed Dmitry Patrushev, who will serve as Russian Prime Minister, will succeed him.
Speculation about Putin’s health and the Kremlin’s alleged use of body doubles has been ramping up since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was forced to comment on the matter in October.
He said: “Everything is fine with him, this is absolutely another fake [rumour].”
Peskov laughed in response to further questions, adding: “I can tell you there are no doubles when it comes to work and so on.”
He continued: “These [kinds of stories] belong to the category of fake news, discussed with enviable tenacity by a number of media outlets. This brings nothing but a smile [in the Kremlin].”