According to recent reports, there have been rumors that Russian President Vladimir Putin has died. However, these rumors have been denied by Putins spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, who called them fake news. There is also speculation that the Putin we see now is actually his double, who has been filling in for the sickly real Putin for several months. It is unclear whether these rumors are true or not. In the past, there have been other instances where Putins whereabouts were unknown, such as during the Ukraine crisis in 2023. Despite the rumors and speculation, Putin has been seen in public recently, including at a joint statement with Chinas President Xi Jinping on November 3, 2023.