Social media is awash with claims, repeated on news websites, that Russian President Vladimir Putin surrounded himself with actors for his New Year’s address and at previous events. But what’s the evidence?
We used facial recognition software to check some of these allegations.
The Russian president has a track record of posing at events where some of the attendees are not what they seem.
A BBC Russian investigation in 2020 found that some events presented as impromptu conversations with everyday people were actually filled with friendly local officials.
