The video of the Russian President Wladimir Putin during the Orthodox Easter Mass in Moscow, he leaves a whiff of distrust. A Twitter account, that of Igor Shusko, questioned the authenticity of the images broadcast by official Russian channels from inside the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. According to this report, the images shown by the media confirm Putin’s absence during the ceremony, since after the vision of some frames there are gross errors that would certify the editing. The Russian leader was not visible at some moments or was at a different point than Moscow Mayor Sergei Semënovič Sobyanin, who is instead always in his place for most of the rite.
Several question marks are raised by those who believe the Russian video is “fake”. The first is that in a stolen video captured in front of the official cameras, the President would show the Kremlin chief performing Gestures almost like a “script” with the absent believers. In reality, in the “stolen” picture, which shows the Russian president and the capital’s mayor head-on, you can see people in their right place for a split second. And it could also be a moment before the ceremony to study well the gestures in the most typical and normal ceremony where nothing is left to chance.
In addition, many point the finger identical clothes of the two politicians. A look in some ways even too much the same to think of the same moment of registration. However, according to many observers, a difference would be visible: the shirt collar and the neck folds. On the color, there might be a little difference due to the lights being different in the two videos. But the creases and wrinkles of the skin would portend distant moments.
Analysis of the video posted by Russian channels, including that of the Orthodox Church, it is then possible to identify other important elements. Putin does not appear at the beginning of the ceremony, but only when Patriarch Kirill returns to the cathedral after the ritual passage in front of the Orthodox temple. In the video it can be seen that only at this moment a second figure appears next to the mayor of Moscow: and this figure is said to be the head of the Kremlin until proven otherwise. However, it should also be indicated in last year’s video of May 2, 2021 that there was the same initial absence of the Russian leader. So it can just be part of the ceremonial.
Another dubious element would then concern an image in which the Russian President seems to “disappear” behind the clothes of the clergymen scattering incense sticks, in the moment immediately following that in which Kirill holds the extinguished candlestick in his hand this affirms “Christos voskrese!”, “Christ is risen”. At this point, it seems incomprehensible whether the Russian President is present at the ceremony or not, because the priests completely block the view, which only shows the mayor of Moscow. But there’s a shadow as David Puente explains on Twitter, which would confirm the same presence of the Russian leader, projecting the same figure on the wall in another image. It is no coincidence that Putin’s face is looking directly at a camera, which at first glance appears very tense, rigid and almost nervous. Factors that many observers felt would suggest further evidence for this health conditions not good for the “Tsar”. On the other hand, they would confirm the current state of health, and not that of the previous year, and therefore the physical presence of the Russian leader this year.
And even based on the position of the Russian President in relation to what appears to be a crown in the fresco behind Putin, there is something to be said against the thesis that the President would “change” his position, namely that the perspective in it is not evaluated Analysis. . The subject can also be in the same place, but rotating the camera makes it clear that it can appear as if a portrait is in a different position than Putin’s body.
All this happens just before the 35th minute (here the one published by the official channel of the Moscow Patriarchate). But soon after, a picture from the top of the cathedral’s interior seems to dispel this doubt about the president’s presence: next to the mayor of the Russian capital is a second person who would appear, so to speak, to the president and the people attending the ceremony, in very similar positions. Another detail: exactly in the same time frame, that is, 40 minutes after the beginning of the ceremony, Kiril appears in both 2021 and 2022 with the candlestick in hand, with the difference that the previous year was colored, while this year the candles are monochromatic. Then, at about 47 minutes, we see a new frontal shot of Putin with one of the priests (not the patriarch this time) making the same gestures Kirill, and the Russian leader is striking. And in the following minutes, also with different shots, it can be observed that the Kremlin boss is in his place, with the candle in his hand. And the movements are definitely not those of last year.
Finally, the element of the departure of the Russian President. It should be noted that the presence of the “tsar” at the ceremony is much shorter than the whole rite. The Russian President enters later and leaves earlier, which may indicate Putin’s poor health condition, but certainly cannot rule out the real physical presence of him in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. In fact, after exactly one hour and ten minutes, the video shows the President and the Mayor leaving the crime scene.
Ultimately, the official video does not seem to deny, at least for a first analysis, Putin’s presence in the cathedral for Easter mass. There is therefore no compelling evidence to prove otherwise. This clearly doesn’t mean it necessarily existed, since with current technologies it’s entirely possible to radically modify a video or frame. However, based on the current state of technology, it cannot be ruled out that the Russian President was present at the ceremony. As the first fact check sites confirm.