Slawek Sobola has travelled around the world for paid gigs imitating Russia’s president for over eight years now
Vladimir Putin
A man who made money posing as a doppelganger of Vladimir Putin says he fears for his life after the Russian president ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Slawek Sobola, 53, has spent the past eight years professionally impersonating 69-year-old Putin and has travelled to the US, the UK and Hong Kong for special gigs. Sobola, who hails from the city of Wroclaw in south-western Poland, said he has earned “good money” parodying the president, but is now concerned that locals will turn on him.
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Slawek Sobola, 53, has spent the past eight years professionally impersonating 69-year-old Putin. Pic/Getty
“Before the war, I wasn’t afraid for my safety on the streets, but now… I’m a little afraid because in Wroclaw, a lot of people from Ukraine live and work,” the infamous celebrity lookalike added. “There have been many times that people told me I look like Putin, and now because of the war, I’m a little afraid that these people could be angry or aggressive when they see me,” he further explained.
Sobola says he used to “respect” Putin, but his opinion has changed since the war in Ukraine began last week. He has vowed to no longer impersonate Putin, saying he does not want to profit from the conflict. “This war is no good and I do not think about earning money from it,” he said. “I had a lot of respect for him [Putin], but now I think that this man did a lot of harm and I do not know today how I will play his role in the future. [In] this situation, I am standing with Ukraine. I think that they have to fight.”
Meanwhile, Sobola’s wife is relieved that he has stopped the Putin parodies, admitting they often made her “uncomfortable.” “Sometimes it’s funny when we do this job and we meet other lookalikes and have fun,” she stated, adding, “But sometimes it gets uncomfortable, especially when we are with family on a holiday, by the beach or in a restaurant or bar, people touch him and say, ‘Hey, hey, you look like Putin, can I get a picture with you?’”
When asked what he would say to Putin if he came face to face with him, Sobola said, “I would ask him to look at me and think how we can have the same face, but perceive the world differently.”
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