‘Perhaps you had heard that Putin has multiple doubles, who work instead of him while he is sitting inside a bunker,’ he said.

‘This is yet more lies. This is one more lie. You see our president. He is just as he used to be – mega-active.’

The channel is supposedly run by a former Kremlin lieutenant-general, known by the alias Viktor Mikhailovich.

It claims Putin’s top apparatchiks and security henchmen control the activities of the doppelgangers.

It is dismissed by most political analysts as run by conspiracy theorists.

The claim comes amid reports that Putin is preparing to announce in a few days he will stand in next year’s presidential election, seeking a new six-year term.

Putin is reported to share his Valdai palace with his secret partner Alina Kabaeva, an Olympic gold-winning rhythmic gymnast, and their young family.