A seemingly mundane detail in Vladimir Putin's office has revealed the Kremlin's continued practice of releasing pre-recorded video footage of the Russian president as recent.
Vladimir Putin. PHOTO: AFP
A seemingly mundane detail in Vladimir Putin's office has revealed a new lie by the Kremlin, which has made a habit of releasing pre-recorded videos as if they were recent, a phenomenon that has already become known as “canning”.
In the present case, it is about the disappearance of the Christmas tree from the office of the Russian leader in “recent” footage, which marks the 16th such manipulation confirmed in 2025.
Look at the tree…
The decorated tree, about two meters high, was first seen in Vladimir Putin's office on December 9, during the president's meeting with the head of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Gennady Krasnikov.
The fir tree is visible on the left side. PHOTO: svoboda org
It immediately attracted the attention of the pro-Kremlin media, being appreciated for the abundance of decorations and the red and gold globes that adorned its branches.
The presence of the fir tree was also visible in other frames, such as the meeting with the president of the Constitutional Court, Valery Zorkin, or in the meeting held in the same office, dedicated to the situation in the “special military operation” area, where the fir tree partially blocked the television through which reports were transmitted to the military.
The location of the tree could also be deduced from the movement of the chairs, which usually sit in the corner of the office, but were relocated to make room for the tree.
…It's not the tree
The situation changed, however, after Vladimir Putin's visit to Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, between December 11 and 12.
There are chairs instead of the tree. PHOTO: svoboda org
On the return, on December 15 and 16, during the meetings with Vladimir Yakushev, the secretary of the General Council of the “United Russia” party, and with Kazbek Kokov, the head of Kabardino-Balkaria, the tree was completely missing, and the position of the chairs and the filming angles, although carefully chosen by the Kremlin's press service, betrayed the fact that the recordings presented to the public as “recent” were actually pre-recorded long before, notes svoboda.org.
Analysis of details in the frame, such as the position of pens and pencils on the president's desk, also made it possible to identify the approximate date of the recordings, demonstrating that they exactly reproduced the arrangements of other meetings held months earlier.
The second footage was pre-recorded. PHOTO: svoboda org
Journalists say Putin's video with Kokov is the 16th documented “can” of 2025.
Although spokesman Dmitry Peskov has been asked about these practices, he has so far offered no official comment.
However, the lack of a Christmas tree in the presidential office remains the most visible indication of the Kremlin's continued manipulations, demonstrating how seemingly mundane details can reveal the truth behind Vladimir Putin's public image.
