The Russian president said his wishes for a happy new year, surrounded by soldiers, the identity of some of which remains unclear.
At the twilight of the year 2022, a year “strong of really decisive and important events” who “lay the foundations for our true independence“, in the words of President Vladimir Putin who pronounced his vows against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine. The head of the Kremlin spoke in a video where he appears surrounded by soldiers, dressed in fatigues and blue and white marinières. However, are these men and women really soldiers?
Several experts have expressed their doubts, like the Belarusian journalist Tadeusz Giczan. He points to the presence alongside Vladimir Putin of a soldier with a disturbing resemblance to a pious Orthodox, or a female sailor that we have been able to see on other videos or official photos.
In these photos published in the past, this blonde woman appears at a table with Vladimir Putin or around a fire with Russian soldiers. A resemblance that also disturbed Clarissa Ward, international correspondent for CNN. “Who is she ? A bodyguard? An actor ?asks the American journalist.
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While some imagine the intervention of extra actors, others believe that it is more likely that these men and women are part of the close guard of the Russian president. Among the multiple identity proposals for the blond woman, a name quickly emerges: that of Serguhina Larissa Borisovna, a 57-year-old deputy from the city of Novgorod, member of “United Russia”, party of Vladimir Putin. It is indeed found in an official report of the Russian Council of the Federation on agricultural and food policy and environmental management. However, no confirmation from the Kremlin has been provided.