Putin's Schoolteacher Reignites Body Double Rumours with Three-Word Question
State media cast the dinner as proof that Vladimir Putin remains in command, after he drove himself to meet his former schoolteacher in Moscow.
- On Tuesday, May 12, 2026, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited his former teacher, Vera Gurevich, at a Moscow hotel, driving the Aurus himself while the 92-year-old peered at his face and asked, 'Is that you?'
- State media presented the carefully stage-managed meeting as proof that Putin remains alive and in command, seemingly addressing long-running speculation that the Russian leader employs body doubles for high-risk public appearances.
- After Gurevich asked the question, Putin smiled and replied, 'It's me,' repeating the phrase to dismiss rumors before handing her a bouquet and driving her to the Kremlin for dinner, escorted by security vehicles.
- Gurevich previously described the young Vladimir as clever but not obviously destined for power, recounting stories of his childhood including an incident where he decapitated a bird while shielding his own eyes.
- Reporting since March 2026 indicates the Kremlin and Putin have been concerned about sensitive information leaks and potential coup attempts, making this public appearance a strategic move to demonstrate control amid security anxieties.
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The Russian leader is reportedly isolating himself even from those closest to him.
At a time when the polls speak of a decline in popularity, the Kremlin released a video showing Russian President Vladimir Putin visiting a teacher of his childhood. In the video Putin, driving an Aurus car, reaches the hotel Arbat in the center of Moscow. There, in the lobby, he meets the elderly woman who is called Vera Gurevich. He hugs and gives her a bouquet of flowers. Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said that Putin after the meeting too…
Putin hugs former high school teacher in new Kremlin video
Vladimir Putin drove himself to central Moscow, where he hugged a former school teacher and invited her for dinner at the Kremlin, a video released by the Russian government on Monday (11 May) shows. Footage showed the Russian leader in the driver's seat of an Aurus Komendant, a Russian luxury car brand, arriving at a hotel. Putin, dressed informally and carrying flowers, hugged his former school teacher, Vera Gurevich, in the hotel lobby. Kreml…
Putin drives Aurus, picks up his school teacher for dinner at Kremlin
The video, released through Russian state media channels, shows Putin, dressed casually in jeans and a light jacket, greeting the 88-year-old retired teacher with a bouquet before embracing her warmly inside a Moscow hotel.
Putin personally went to a hotel in Moscow to pick up his teacher for the parade and dinner.
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