🔗 Share this article

In a recent appearance, actor Jude Law stated he had no concerns about backlash for portraying the Russian leader in a new film. This production, however, may align so closely with the carefully constructed version promoted by Russian state media that, within Russia, it reads as a endorsement rather than a challenge.

The Manufactured Superhero

Over a long period, the Russian political apparatus and its entertainment industry have worked together to forge a tailor-made version of Putin. This character is an infallible strategist without age or mistakes, an ex-intelligence officer reframed as a local 007 who always knows more than he reveals.

“Domestically, the constructed Putin has long overshadowed the real one.”

Cinematic Reinforcement

A notable instance is a TV series launched last October, helmed by a pro-government filmmaker. The protagonist is a fictional security officer inexplicably chosen to “rescue” Russia from chaos. While the character's name Mikhail, the message is unmistakable: the savior must be a known figure from the secret services.

Western portrayals frequently result in buttressing this same narrative rather than debunking it. A new film inspired by a popular book sets out to undermine the Putin cult by framing him as a symptom but as a symptom, shifting the focus to the spin doctors surrounding him.

The Myth of the Reluctant Leader

In the film, the president is shown as having been picked by powerful oligarchs to stabilise the nation because he is “a fit former intelligence agent”. They visit him and all but beg him to take the top job. His response is that he would rather govern from the background, seeking permanent power.

This tale is a key piece of state propaganda: the detached, unwilling mastermind shaped by destiny. In reality, these events took place.

The Reality of the Casting Call

Nobody ever begged him to accept the role. The position was effectively a selection process with many candidates. At the centre to this process stood an influential oligarch from the Yeltsin era who planned to control the country de facto.

• The shortlist included various figures, including a reformer subsequently assassinated and a security service director.
• According to an expert who researched Putin’s biography, the future president merely met the required parameters: obedient, from the security services, and politically neutral.
• A property developer close to the events said the primary requirement was controllability and faithfulness, not leadership.

“They didn’t need a powerful leader, they needed someone controllable, someone who would obey orders.”

Constructing the Spy Legend

Experts agree that the image of Putin as a powerful KGB spy was constructed retrospectively. Claims about his clandestine activities in East Germany fall apart under examination. In essence, he was an administrator and technical tasks, a mid-level functionary not engaged in actual agent work.

Curiously, the move to framing him as a “spy” could partly have been inspired by the actor's arrival as 007. His harder version prompted Russian media and social media to draw visual parallels with their leader. Mashup posters swapping Craig’s face with his appeared on city centers, feeding the increasing trend to frame him as a local secret agent.

A Propaganda Win?

With Jude Law, an star well-liked by viewers there, the Kremlin will not miss the chance to frame his casting as a small victory. Its omission of public dissent, the political rivals, or prominent activists in the story, even though it includes the past decade, is a welcome aspect for state propaganda.

Domestically, Putin is often an all-powerful presence who never appears on screen. He is hinted at through photographs or calls “from above”. In this new film, he finally acquires a recognizable face—one that could unintentionally echo the very myths it perhaps aims to examine.