Did Putin FAKE his TV appearance? Viral video shows his hand 'passing through mic'
There is speculation that Vladimir Putin has used a green screen to fake his latest TV appearance after his hand was seen going through a microphone. A viral clip surfaced amid heightened speculation around the President's health and whereabouts, which is causing quite a commotion online.
The video clip was posted on Reddit on Saturday, March 5, under the title 'Green Screen Detected!', It showed Putin at a table with air hostesses but when he waves, his hand appears to go through a microphone. The video was tagged by moderators as misinformation and it was later deleted, but it still managed to elicit quite a bit of response online.
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This video has been manipulated with Green Screen or similar technology to make Putin appear to be close to these people.
— Arch-Physicist 😷 #MildZeroCovid (@zin_zah) March 5, 2022
After meeting for a long time with only his closest bosses ~tens of meters away at the big table, this change in close contact seemed a bit too strange: https://t.co/TUkPIt34q4
According to the AP, Russia has a history of producing doctored propaganda videos and was believed to have used one to justify its recent invasion of Ukraine. This appearance may also be a propaganda video.
The visual phenomenon has been explained as a technical glitch known as 'generation loss.' This occurs when a video is repeatedly uploaded or sent via a messaging service, which causes it to lose quality. But the clip is being regarded as 'evidence' for a series of reports about an 'unhinged' Putin who is becoming increasingly isolated.
Many believe that Putin's decision to invade Ukraine might have been sparked by not only his poor mental state, but also by a worrying physical health condition. In a picture posted by the Kremlin, the 69-year-old was described as 'ashen and bloated'. Since, he ordered an invasion of Ukraine on 24 February, it looks like he is trying to distance himself from the spotlight. Just this week, he was pictured a good distance away from his military advisors, and this entire week he appeared only in a weekend appearance with Aeroflot stewardesses.
Many feels that the President looked pale and unfit in recent photos. Putin has remained tight-lipped about his health, but there has been much speculation over the years. Researchers even claimed they identified signs in Putin's gait which could point to Parkinson's disease. There are even claims he has cancer and was rushed into hospital for emergency surgery in February 2020.
The Kremlin has issued a firm denial of claims that Putin has any illness. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov talked about the President's health and said, "He is in excellent health." But the claims of a battle with cancer by the Russian President have not been confirmed or denied. Putin self-isolated in September 2021, after several people close to him got Covid. From the meagre reports trickling in, it looks like he is now isolating himself even more as his ground and air forces pound Ukraine in an increasingly bloody war with civillian casualities.