🔗 Share this article

Last year, actor Jude Law stated he had no concerns about backlash for portraying the Russian leader in a new film. The movie, however, could coincide too neatly with the mythologized version promoted by official channels that, within Russia, it reads as a compliment instead of a critique.

The Crafted Superhero

For years, the Russian political apparatus and its entertainment industry have worked together to craft a made-to-measure version of the president. This character is an infallible strategist devoid of flaws, an ex-intelligence officer reimagined as a Russian James Bond who consistently understands more than he reveals.

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

Screen-Based Support

A notable instance is a television show launched last fall, helmed by a Kremlin supporter. Its main character is a invented security officer selected by fate to “save” Russia from disorder. Although he is called Mikhail, the implication is unmistakable: the hero must be a known figure from the secret services.

Western portrayals often end up reinforcing this identical story instead of debunking it. A new film inspired by a bestselling satirical novel aims to subvert the Putin cult by presenting him not as a cause but as a symptom, moving the narrative weight to the spin doctors around him.

The Myth of the Reluctant Leader

In the film, Putin is presented as having been picked by influential figures to stabilise the nation because he is “young, athletic and a spy”. They visit him and practically plead him to take the top job. His response is that he would prefer to rule from the shadows, desiring enduring influence.

This tale is the Kremlin’s export myth: the cool, reluctant strategist guided by fate. Historically, these events took place.

The Reality of the Casting Call

No one actually pleaded with him to accept the role. The presidency was effectively a selection process with many candidates. At the centre to this process stood a powerful businessman from the previous administration who planned to control the state in practice.

• His list featured several politicians, among them an opposition leader subsequently assassinated and a former spy chief.
• Per a journalist who researched his rise, the future president merely met the necessary criteria: obedient, from the security services, and not a communist or a liberal.
• A property developer familiar with the process stated the primary requirement was manageability and loyalty, not leadership.

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

Constructing the Spy Legend

Analysts concur that the image of Putin as a powerful KGB spy was built after the fact. Stories about his “recruitment work” in East Germany fall apart under examination. In essence, he was an administrator and technical tasks, a low-level clerk not involved with field operations.

Curiously, the move to framing him as a “spy” may in part have been inspired by the actor's debut as 007. The grittier version led Russian media and online audiences to make comparisons with Putin. Mashup posters replacing Craig’s face with his surfaced on Moscow streets, feeding the growing tendency to frame him as a local secret agent.

A Propaganda Win?

Given the casting, an star popular with viewers there, the Kremlin are likely to seize the opportunity to frame his casting as a minor diplomatic triumph. Its omission of mass protests, the political rivals, or prominent activists in the story, even though it includes recent years, is a welcome aspect for official messaging.

Domestically, Putin is often an all-powerful presence who remains unseen directly. He is hinted at through photographs or calls “from above”. In this new film, he at last gets a recognizable face—one that could unintentionally validate the very myths it perhaps aims to examine.