Vladimir Putin Caught Wearing High-Heeled Shoes During Photo-Op With Moscow Students
Jan. 26 2023, Published 6:45 p.m. ET
Vladimir Putin was caught wearing high-heeled shoes during a photo-op in Moscow this week, RadarOnline.com has learned.
The image-obsessed 5’ 7” Russian leader wore the surprising footwear on Wednesday while visiting a school in Moscow to celebrate Russian Students Day.
According to Daily Mail, Putin’s propaganda ministers work tirelessly to maintain a positive public image for the Russian president – resulting in Putin’s shoes receiving at least one extra inch in height via a pair of raised shoes.
In the past, Putin has also reportedly gone to great lengths to control his public image.
During one interview in 2015, a Russian insider revealed Putin did not like being the shortest person in official photographs.
“That's why his bodyguards are always shorter than he is, to give the impression Putin is a tall person,” the source said at the time.
“In politics, height matters,” said another source in 2020.
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Putin was accused of having a “Napoleon Complex” last year shortly after the Russian strongman launched his “special military operation” against Ukraine.
At the time, intelligence officials and university professors indicated Putin launched a war against Ukraine to "compensate for his lack of physical strength” and because he "wants to come across as a strong leader."
"The way he poses for the camera, all these pictures of him bare-chested, playing ice hockey, hunting...They are all the kind of things you see in someone who is not secure in their power position,” said Dutch psychologist and professor Mark van Vugt.
“And that may be the result of his short stature - the more dominant, authoritarian kind of strategies to be taken seriously,” he added.
As RadarOnline.com reported, Putin’s alleged battle with cancer has also created concern the Russian leader is staging photographs so as not to reveal the true extent of his worsening condition.
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Ukraine’s head of military intelligence, Major General Kyrylo Budanov, claimed in October that Putin uses “at least three body double doppelgängers” to stand in for him when the Russian leader is feeling too sick to appear for public events.
"We know specifically about three people that keep appearing, but how many there are, we don't know,” Budanov said at the time. "They all had plastic surgery to look alike.”
"The one thing that gives them away is their height. It's visible in videos and pictures,” the major general explained. “Also gesturing, body language and earlobes, since they are unique for every person."
