Putin's "Paranoid" Persona Amplified by Distant Audience Interaction.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's distance from the audience during a national holiday speech has sparked social media comments, with some speculating that he may be using a body double. The Russian leader appeared to be many feet away from the audience at the Russia Day awards ceremony in the Kremlin, possibly due to his reported fear of catching COVID-19. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has previously denied Putin uses body doubles, saying in April that such reports are a "lie."