On 24 October, a subsequent Telegram post alleged Putin's "unexpectedly well-coiffed" double was taking calls with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, while Putin lay in his at-home medical facility "connected to equipment that monitors his vital parameters", his prospects "not optimistic."

Responding to the rumours of the heart attack, Peskov stated: "Everything is fine with him, this is another canard, absolutely". He added: "There are no doubles", going on to reveal that the rumours only cause a "smile" in the Kremlin.

In June, Japanese TV network TBS used AI technology to analyse Putin's features and concluded that the dictator uses one or even two body doubles. Valery Solovey, former professor at Moscow's prestigious Institute of International Relations, also believes the Russian premiere is "nearing the end of his earthly life" and has been replaced by actors, according to the Daily Mail.

Despite the allegations, Putin was pictured here leading a meeting with top security officials in Moscow on 30 October.

Inside Vladimir Putin’s palatial forest hideaway on Lake Valdai