Kremlin caught faking it: Journalists expose Putin's staged meetings

According to the Systema investigation, the Kremlin regularly releases previously recorded meetings with Putin, presenting them as fresh appearances.

Such videos are called "canned" because they are published on days when Putin does not appear in public.

The mechanism is simple: officials attend a pre-recorded meeting in advance, and on the day of publication, they show up at other events wearing the same outfit to create the illusion of a live broadcast. However, as the Center notes, it's impossible to maintain perfect consistency.

Example: Svetlana Chupsheva, head of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives, attended two different meetings with Putin in 2025 — one released in April and another in September. On both release days, she appeared at other public events wearing the same clothes.

But several details give the deception away:

• Different earrings in the "canned" video and at the real event on April 9;
• Books are arranged differently in Putin's office;
• The same unusual arrangement of pens and pencils on the desk in videos supposedly recorded six weeks apart.

These details reveal that the regime deliberately fabricates the president's activity and tries to conceal his absence in real time.

Russian fakes

It’s worth noting that Russian occupiers have repeatedly been caught lying and manipulating information.

Recently, Russian propaganda began spreading a fake claim that Ukrainian soldiers are allegedly ordered to kill their comrades who try to leave their positions or surrender.

Earlier, pro-Kremlin channels circulated a video showing Romanian fans at a Ukraine national team match chanting the name of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, which, of course, also turned out to be fake.