why this statement is fake

Published:

A series of three photos shared after Vladimir Putin’s New Year’s greetings claim to show an adjunct posing with the Russian president at various points and playing different roles. The comparison is wrong, because one of the photos shows a soldier decorated by Vladimir Putin on December 31, 2022, and the other two are a regional deputy in Novgorod, the support of the Russian president… and already last year, they are accused of being extras.

Validation in one word

  • Vladimir Putin would use the extras during his 2023 aspirations, especially the blonde woman who will attend his last three public appearances.
  • Two of these photos actually show the same woman, Larisa Sergukhina, a deputy supporting Vladimir Putin, during the Russian president’s two visits to the Novgorod region.
  • Conversely, the third photo shows another person, military officer Anna Sidorenko, who was decorated by Vladimir Putin on December 31, 2022.

Verification details

“Sometimes a soldier, sometimes a fisherman, sometimes a fervent religious person,” he says tweet in english It has been shared more than 8,700 times and shows a woman who has been strangely present during Vladimir Putin’s three visits.

Thus, we would see the blonde woman during the last speech of the Russian president about the transition to 2023. But earlier on a boat with Vladimir Putin or during a religious ceremony. In French, for example, photos were also published via this tweetIt has been shared more than 300 times.

Here’s a screenshot of a French tweet featuring three photos claiming to be the same “extra” as Vladimir Putin. © Observers

The photos were published by a CNN journalist Clarissa Ward, wondering about the identity of the young woman. They have also been the subject of articles in several French media such as Le Figaro or La Croix.

The last two photos show a supporter of Vladimir Putin

The woman seen in the last two photos is the same and has already been identified by France 24 Observers editorial staff as Larisa Sergukhina, an entrepreneur in the fishing industry in Novgorod in May 2022 and also a deputy of the Novgorod regional Duma. member of the ruling “United Russia” party.

Screenshot of Larisa Sergukhina's profile page on the website of the Novgorod Regional Duma.
Screenshot of Larisa Sergukhina’s profile page on the website of the Novgorod Regional Duma. © https://new.novoblduma.ru/

During these two pre-planned events, the Russian president met with “local supporters” for communication purposes, as we explain in the article below. Larisa Sergukhina participated in both events.

Read in the Observer: These photos do not show the “extras” used to stage Vladimir Putin’s actions

In the first photo, a soldier decorated by Vladimir Putin

As our colleagues from LCI and France Info pointed out, the woman in the uniform in the first photo has nothing to do with Larisa Sergukhina.

On the website of the Kremlin, it is possible to see the ceremony of decorating soldiers by Vladimir Putin on the occasion of December 31 wishes.

In the photo, we meet a person who is presented as “captain of the medical service of the guards” Anna Sidorenko. The soldier can also be seen wearing this decoration in the video posted on the Russian Facebook social network VKontakte.e the regiment he was a part of”.


Comparing the faces of Anna Sidorenko on the one hand and Larisa Sergukhina on the other allows us to note that despite the similarity of the two women, it is not the same person.

On the left, a screenshot of the video of Anna Sidorenko speaking on the occasion of the presentation of the medal by Vladimir Putin on December 31.  On the right, a photo posted by Larisa Sergukhina on her VKontakte account on December 28.
On the left, a screenshot of the video of Anna Sidorenko speaking on the occasion of Vladimir Putin’s medal presentation on December 31. On the right, a photo posted by Larisa Sergukhina on her VKontakte account on December 28. © Observers

Just as many Russian accounts have accused the Ukrainian authorities of staging, Vladimir Putin has been repeatedly accused of using supplements in his public appearances, such as when he met with soldiers’ mothers in November 2022 or when he visited a Russian prison in May 2022.

In any case, there was no evidence that they were entirely staged by the Russian authorities.

If you would like to submit a photo or video to us for verification, please contact us via message on the @InfoIntoxF24 Twitter account. !

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