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Last year, star Jude Law stated he “didn’t fear any repercussions” for portraying Vladimir Putin in a new film. This production, though, could coincide too neatly with the mythologized image promoted by Russian state media that, within Russia, it functions as a endorsement rather than a critique.

The Manufactured Strongman

For years, the Russian political apparatus and its entertainment industry have collaborated to forge a made-to-measure version of the president. This character is a political superhero devoid of flaws, an ex-intelligence officer reimagined as a Russian James Bond who always knows more than he reveals.

“In Russia, the manufactured Putin has long overshadowed the real one.”

Screen-Based Support

One recent example is a television show released last October, helmed by a Kremlin supporter. Its main character is a invented blue-eyed lieutenant colonel inexplicably chosen to “rescue” the nation from chaos. Although the character's name a different name, the implication is unmistakable: the savior must be a familiar security officer.

Western portrayals often end up reinforcing this identical story rather than debunking it. A new film based on a popular book sets out to subvert the Putin cult by presenting 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 powerful oligarchs to stabilise the country because he is “young, athletic and a spy”. The oligarchs approach 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 detached, unwilling mastermind shaped by destiny. In reality, none of this ever happened.

The Reality of the Casting Call

No one ever begged him to take the job. The position was in essence a selection process with no shortage of candidates. Central to this process stood a powerful businessman from the previous administration who planned to control the country in practice.

• His list included several politicians, among them a reformer later murdered and a former spy chief.
• Per a journalist who studied Putin’s biography, the chosen candidate merely met the necessary criteria: loyal, from the security services, and not a communist or a liberal.
• A businessman close to the process stated the key criterion was manageability and loyalty, not leadership.

“The goal wasn't a strong candidate, they needed someone malleable, someone who would obey orders.”

Building the 007 Persona

Experts agree that the notion 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 routine duties, a low-level clerk not involved with field operations.

Curiously, the shift to framing him as a “spy” could partly have been inspired by the actor's debut as 007. His harder interpretation led local outlets and online audiences to make comparisons with their leader. Edited images replacing Craig’s face with Putin’s surfaced on city centers, fueling the growing tendency to frame him as a local secret agent.

A Propaganda Win?

Given the casting, an actor well-liked by Russian audiences, the authorities are likely to seize the opportunity to portray this choice as a minor diplomatic triumph. Its omission of mass protests, the opposition, or prominent activists from its narrative, despite covering recent years, is a welcome aspect for state propaganda.

Domestically, the president is often an all-powerful presence who remains unseen directly. He is hinted at through portraits or calls “from above”. Now, he finally acquires a recognizable face—one that may inadvertently echo the exact legends it perhaps aims to question.