Source : Perth Now news
Vladimir Putin is once again the subject of viral conspiracy theories he has managed to live through two world wars.
The barmy beliefs emerged after old photographs resurfaced online showing men from the early 20th century who bear a resemblance to the Russian despot – despite there being no evidence to support claims the images depict him or that he has somehow lived for more than a century.
The Russian president, 73, has dominated the country’s political landscape for more than a quarter of a century, having first come to power in 1999.
His full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 continues to define his presidency, with the war causing hundreds of thousands of military casualties and thousands of civilian deaths, according to international estimates.
Russia remains the target of extensive Western sanctions, while diplomatic efforts to end the conflict have repeatedly stalled. Against that backdrop, misleading and fantastical claims about Putin frequently circulate on social media, including long-running theories suggesting he is immortal or has travelled through time.
The claims now centre on two black-and-white photographs – one dated 1920 and another from 1941 – featuring men in military uniform whose facial features some internet users have claimed resemble Putin.
Disclose.tv reported: “On social networks are circulating pictures from 1920, and in 1941, for which some people claim that they are pictures of Putin.
“In fact, supporters of the thesis that Putin is almighty and immortal have launched a story that their president is a mythical creature that resides on our planet for hundreds, if not thousands of years.”
The photographs first attracted widespread online attention in 2015 and have resurfaced periodically ever since, despite there being no credible evidence linking either image to Putin.
The similarities highlighted by conspiracy theorists focus on facial characteristics including a narrow nose, thin lips and overall facial shape.
Historians and fact-checkers have repeatedly noted apparent likenesses between unrelated individuals are common and do not constitute evidence that the same person appears in photographs taken decades apart.
The theories have also spawned claims Putin somehow witnessed both world wars or possesses access to time travel technology.
None of those assertions have been supported by evidence.
Putin remains one of the most recognisable political figures of the 21st century.
Before becoming acting president in 1999, he served as director of Russia’s Federal Security Service, the FSB, which succeeded the Soviet-era KGB.
He subsequently won multiple presidential elections that international observers, including the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, have repeatedly criticised as lacking genuine democratic competition, while critics of his government have faced imprisonment, exile or other forms of repression.
Since ordering Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Putin has continued to dominate international headlines through the ongoing conflict, tensions with Nato countries and continued geopolitical disputes with Western governments.
Despite the persistence of online speculation, there is no evidence the men shown in the photographs from 1920 or 1941 are Vladimir Putin, and the claims he is immortal or capable of time travel remain internet conspiracy theories unsupported by any verified facts.
