Questions have surfaced whether Russian President Vladimir Putin really attended an Orthodox Easter service in Moscow last weekend after images released by the Kremlin bore a striking resemblance to images from last year.
The images, allegedly taken a year apart, appear to show Putin wearing the same suit and look very similar – the only noticeable difference being the color of his tie.
On Sunday morning, April 24, Putin is believed to have attended the midnight Easter service celebrating Orthodox Easter at Moscow’s vast gold-adorned Cathedral of Christ the Savior along with Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin.
However, images and video footage of the event were confiscated by opposition media in Russia and Ukraine, suggesting the new clips from last year’s service on May 2, 2021 were fake.
It comes after footage emerged last week showing Putin bloated and hunched in a meeting with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who also appeared frail and seemed to slur his words as he read a brief statement to the president.
The footage sparked rumors that Putin is suffering from significant health problems, while Shoigu, who has been largely sidelined after being a mainstay in Ukraine in the early days of the war, is said to have suffered a heart attack.
There are only slight differences in the lighting and the color of Putin’s tie between both sets of images from the Easter service, suggesting that the images have been manipulated (Putin at the Easter service in 2021 pictured left. Image 2022 pictured right).
Putin (L) is believed to have attended the midnight Easter service on Sunday morning, April 24, along with Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin (R) at Moscow’s vast gold-encrusted Cathedral of Christ the Savior to celebrate Orthodox Easter
He appeared to be chewing the insides of his mouth, moving uncomfortably and adding a whirlwind of comments that the pressure of Russia’s backlash over the war in Ukraine
There are only slight differences in the lighting and the color of Putin’s tie between the two images of the Easter service, leading to the assumption that the images have been tampered with.
“Putin is standing in the same suit and with the same candle as on May 2, 2021,” reported Russian outlet The Village.
“This is evidenced by a photo report from the temple on the Kremlin website.”
Opposition investigative media Agentstvo also claimed that this year’s footage of Putin’s attendance at the ceremony – an appearance he makes annually – appeared to have been distorted.
“In the transmission of the Easter service from the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, Putin seemed to disappear for a moment,” the outlet said.
“This happened during the change of shots, from a close-up with the President to a more general one…
“The place where Putin should be seems empty.”
The allegations were made by Ukraine’s Interior Ministry adviser Anton Herashchenko, who said: “Putin’s directors were caught editing video again and [manipulation].
“This time during the transmission of the Easter service.”
Telegram channel Mozhem Obyasnit (We Can Explain) wrote: “Putin-2022 at the service in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior is almost indistinguishable from Putin-2021.
“Social media users who studied the photos questioned the president attending a public event.”
The channel urged supporters to see the difference between Putin this year and last year.
Some commenters believe his face has changed since last year, despite similar expressions.
Russian Orthodox leader Patriarch Kirill, who has supported his invasion of Ukraine, led the service. Eastern Orthodox Churches adhere to the old Julian calendar and celebrate Orthodox Easter on April 24 this year
“Putin has the same hairstyle, almost the same facial expression, the same candle,” Mozhem Obyasnit said.
“Both are in the same aisle of the cathedral against the same background.
“True, Putin was sometimes shown against the backdrop of parishioners and priests in 2021, but this year, for some reason, they didn’t.
“Social media users conclude that reports of Putin’s participation in this public event at the height of the war are illustrated with images from a peaceful 2021.”
According to Reuters, when Patriarch Kirill — head of the Russian Orthodox Church — declared during the service that “Christ is risen,” Putin did not join the other members of the congregation to reply, “He is indeed risen.”
In the video, the typically stoic and unwavering Putin was shown grimacing, fidgeting and biting his lip. This has been interpreted by some as a sign of his wartime mental state, while others have posited that he may have Parkinson’s disease.
“I am convinced by a lot of medical advice that he is a sick man and the most convincing diagnosis is that he has early-stage Parkinson’s disease,” former government defense and NATO adviser Professor Gwythian Prins said over the weekend appeared on Good Morning Britain.
“I happen to live with a clinical neurological psychologist – my wife – who has been working with people with degenerative brain diseases for 30 years.”
He said people living with Parkinson’s often exhibit “all-or-nothing thinking,” where it becomes disinhibited and prevents them from rationally absorbing information.
Claims that Putin’s visit to the Easter service may have been faked due to health concerns, days after footage showed a visibly uneasy Putin sitting across from the sidelined Defense Minister Shoigu, who appeared to slurp his words as he read from a document
Putin’s poor posture and apparently bloated face and neck sparked speculation about the Russian leader’s health, which has reportedly worsened since his invasion of Ukraine
Meanwhile, the Russian leader’s poor posture and seemingly bloated face and neck, revealed in a video last week as he sat opposite Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, sparked further speculation about Putin’s health.
Shoigu, who is responsible for the bloody invasion of Ukraine, has disappeared from the public eye after reports that relations between the defense minister and Putin were strained amid heavy casualties by Russian troops.
Anders Aslund, a Swedish economist and former adviser to Ukraine and Russia, said the video showed both Putin and Shoigu “depressed and seemingly in poor health.”
Shoigu appears to have fared no better than Putin in the eight weeks since Russia invaded Ukraine, with the defense minister slurring his words and reading from his notes after an apparent heart attack.
Last week, a Russian-Israeli businessman claimed Shoigu suffered a heart attack, which he believes was caused by foul play.
Leonid Nevzlin claimed Shoigu was in an intensive car after suffering “a massive heart attack” that “could not have occurred for natural reasons,” suggesting that Putin’s longtime ally may have been the subject of an assassination attempt.