Russian dictator Vladimir Putin arrived in occupied Mariupol on the night of March 19. Interestingly, during the visit, the head of the Kremlin spoke very little.

It is definitely difficult to say whether there really was a double of Putin in Mariupol, but they can be distinguished by speeches, vocabulary and intonations. Political strategist Mikhail Sheitelman told Channel 24 about this.

What Putin was forbidden to do during his trip to Mariupol

According to the published photos, it really looks like a double of the head of the Kremlin has arrived in the occupied Ukrainian city. However, this man hardly spoke during the entire trip, only selective words.

According to Sheitelman, this person was simply not allowed to speak. Thus, the Kremlin wanted to prevent this Putin from saying too much and the whole world to understand that he is a fake dictator.

It is impossible for a person to change the vocabulary, – the political strategist noted.

Sheitelman about Putin's double in Mariupol: watch the video

Putin or double – it doesn't matter, the main thing is the consequences

However, according to the political strategist, it is possible that there was a real Putin in Mariupol. This is not important, the main thing is that legally it does not change the consequences.

For history, it doesn't matter who was in Mariupol – the real Putin or a double. Another thing is important – everyone recognizes that it is Putin. This means that after arriving in Mariupol, he changed his status, – Sheitelman explained.

According to him, until now Putin had the diplomatic status of the president of Russia. However, since crossing the Ukrainian border, the dictator has committed a criminal offense under the laws of our state – illegally crossed the border during martial law.

Since February 24, 2022, the UN has recognized the events in Ukraine as an aggressive war of Russia against our state. After a visit to Mariupol, Putin became its direct participant, and not the one who governs. In addition, he did not wear a military uniform, which violated the Geneva Convention.

“Putin broke all the rules. I think from this day on he has no diplomatic status,” Sheitelman summed up.

Putin or not Putin: what experts say

• On March 19, Vladimir Putin came to the temporarily occupied Mariupol, and the day before he visited Crimea. This trip has already been dubbed “farewell tour” in Ukraine. The network is actively discussing whether this was the real head of the Kremlin.
• Former KGB officer and Russian Foreign Intelligence Service Sergei Zhirnov stressed that it was a farewell visit of Putin's double, because the real one does not go anywhere. He noted that allegedly the head of the Kremlin was without guards and motorcade.
• Roman Svitan, reserve colonel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, is of the same opinion. He noted that security protocol would not allow the real Putin to make such a trip.
• The fact that it was the dictator himself, and not a double, is also doubted by Ukrainian intelligence. Andriy Yusov, a spokesman for the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine, stressed that there is no evidence that the man in Mariupol was Putin. All that can be argued is that the man in the video did look like a Russian tyrant.