Eagle-eyed netizens spot a familiar face in pictures from a recent ‘hospital visit’ by the President of Russia. So, did Putin meet wounded soldiers or is it all an act?
Did Putin fake a hospital visit?
A few days ago, the Kremlin released a video showing Putin at the Mandryk Central Military Clinical Hospital. It is a military hospital of the Russian Defence Ministry in Moscow. In the video, Putin is seen speaking to wounded members of the Russian armed forces after the special military operation. It also shows him speaking to the medical staff at the hospital. Additionally, he also told the son of a soldier that “he will be proud of his dad”.
“The President visited the Mandryk Central Military Clinical Hospital of the Russian Defence Ministry. Vladimir Putin spoke with members of the Russian Armed Forces undergoing treatment after being wounded during the special military operation, as well as with the hospital’s medical personnel,” stated the official page for the President of Russia. Putin was accompanied by Sergei Shoigu, the defense minister. Following the visit to the military hospital, he hailed the troops as “heroes” in a televised meeting with other officials.
Netizens reveal common propaganda tactics in Russia
However, netizens are claiming that one of the “patients” at the military hospital was a familiar face from a previous event. According to Adam Rang, a wounded soldier resembled a factory worker that Putin met. Rang is a self-described “counter-propaganda” activist residing in Estonia. Sharing a thread on Twitter he revealed a common tactic of the government. That ‘factory worker’ and ‘wounded soldier’ that Putin keeps meeting also works for the FSB. He is the Kremlin’s equivalent of Mrs. Rabbit in Peppa Pig,” responded another Twitter user.
“Putin’s use of ‘extras’ for media stunts has been widely documented by Russians for more than a decade,” stated Rang. Quoting several examples, he revealed examples going back to 2011. In case you were wondering how #Putin can possibly risk being in the presence of regular #RussianPeople. He never does,” tweeted Igor Susko. Susko is a Ukrainian race car driver. He also shared a compilation of images showing the recurring ‘cast members’ of regular Russians.