Putin body double 'revealed' after Russian chief 'slips up' live on camera

People think a Russian official has accidentally revealed the existence of Vladimir Putin's body double, reigniting a conspiracy theory that the man who appears on camera is not always the Russian leader.

The idea that Putin uses a body double has been hard to shake, not least because the Russian leader used to be a KGB agent and this is the sort of subterfuge you'd expect of him.

Nexta published footage of a meeting between Putin and a Russian official where the head of state appeared to be called 'Pal Laich', which they suggested was a shortened version of 'Pavel Nikolaevich'.

You might notice that's not Vladimir Putin's name, nor is it anywhere close to 'Vladimir Vladimirovich', which is how he'd likely be addressed by those who know him.

Nexta suggested this might be a 'slip up' and the official accidentally called Putin's alleged body double by his actual name.

In the footage, 'Putin' cuts in and rushes the conversation ahead after being addressed by the wrong name, which the conspiracy theorists will likely take as a sign to try and move on from the mistake before anything else goes wrong.

😂 Putin’s body double exposed by intel chief’s son?

During a briefing to Putin, Patrushev Jr. appeared to slip up and failed to pronounce his boss’s name correctly. Instead of saying “Vladimir Vladimirovich,” he blurted out something sounding like “Pal Laich” — which many noted… pic.twitter.com/FoK5bU0DY7

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) May 27, 2026

However, alternate theories have been raised that the official was simply addressing someone else in the room who didn't appear on camera or just got nervous in the presence of a man whose enemies have an unfortunate habit of falling out of windows.

The idea that Putin has his own body double who appears for him at events really won't go away, with people claiming the Russian leader has made someone have surgery to look like him but that you can spot the signs on the chin, ears and forehead wrinkles.

Various claims have been made that Putin has sent his body double out when he feels threatened, or to avoid compromising on his strongman image during times of illness for the 73-year-old.

One of the more recent instances of people thinking they'd spotted Putin's body double was during last year's meeting with US President Donald Trump in Alaska.

Conspiracy theorists pointed towards Putin's body language during certain parts of the meeting and claimed it as evidence that they weren't seeing the real thing.

His legs shaking attracted particular attention, though body language expert Inbaal Honigman said the way the Russian dictator walked did confirm it was really him.

She explained he walks with a 'gunslinger's gait'.

"His left arm swings naturally, while his right arm is still and stiff, held strongly in place by his side," she told the Star.

"This is an identifiable mark of the former KGB agent, which allows an officer to be ready to pull a firearm out of its holster at a moment's notice."