🔗 Share this article

Last year, actor Jude Law stated he had no concerns about backlash for playing the Russian leader in a cinematic adaptation. The movie, though, may align too neatly with the mythologized image promoted by Russian state media that, domestically, it functions as a compliment instead of a challenge.

The Manufactured Superhero

Over a long period, the Kremlin and the country's entertainment industry have collaborated to craft a tailor-made version of the president. This character is an infallible strategist without age or mistakes, a former spy reimagined as a Russian James Bond who always knows beyond what he shows.

“In Russia, the manufactured Putin has long overshadowed the actual person.”

Screen-Based Support

A notable instance is a television show released last October, helmed by a pro-government filmmaker. The protagonist is a fictional blue-eyed lieutenant colonel selected by fate to “save” the nation from chaos. Although the character's name a different name, the implication is unmistakable: the hero must be a known figure from the secret services.

Western portrayals often end up buttressing this identical story rather than debunking it. A new film inspired by a bestselling satirical novel aims to subvert the leader's mythology by framing him as a symptom but as a symptom, moving the focus to the spin doctors surrounding him.

The Myth of the Reluctant Leader

In the film, the president is presented as having been chosen by influential figures to steady the nation because he is “a fit former intelligence agent”. They visit him and practically plead him to become president. He replies is that he would prefer to rule from the background, desiring enduring influence.

This narrative is a key piece of state propaganda: the cool, reluctant strategist shaped by destiny. Historically, these events ever happened.

The Reality of the Casting Call

No one actually pleaded with Putin to accept the role. The presidency was effectively a casting call with no shortage of contenders. At the centre to the selection stood a powerful businessman from the previous administration who planned to control the country in practice.

• The shortlist included several politicians, among them a reformer subsequently assassinated and a former spy chief.
• According to an expert who researched Putin’s biography, the chosen candidate merely met the necessary criteria: obedient, from the intelligence world, and politically neutral.
• A businessman familiar with the events stated the key criterion was controllability and faithfulness, not strength.

“They didn’t need a strong candidate, they needed someone controllable, someone who would follow instructions.”

Building the 007 Persona

Analysts concur that the image of him as a powerful KGB spy was constructed retrospectively. Stories about his “recruitment work” in Dresden do not stand up to scrutiny. Fundamentally, he handled paperwork and technical tasks, a low-level clerk not engaged in actual agent work.

Interestingly, the move to depicting him as a “spy” may in part have been inspired by Daniel Craig’s arrival as James Bond. His harder version led local outlets and social media to draw visual parallels with their leader. Edited images replacing Craig’s face with Putin’s surfaced on Moscow streets, fueling the growing tendency to see him as a local secret agent.

A Propaganda Win?

Given the casting, an star well-liked by Russian audiences, the Kremlin will not miss the opportunity to portray this choice as a small victory. The film's omission of public dissent, the opposition, or key figures from its narrative, despite covering recent years, is a pleasant bonus for official messaging.

In Russian cinema, Putin is often an omnipotent figure who remains unseen on screen. He is signaled through portraits or calls “from above”. Now, he at last gets a recognizable face—one that may inadvertently echo the very myths it might seek to question.