Putin was caught hiring actors to portray soldiers in New Year's address.
Previous Kremlin propaganda videos feature the same actors.
Putin grows paranoid and avoids public meetings.
Staged meeting with loyalist women who lost loved ones in Ukraine.
Putin chooses women who won't complain or ask difficult questions.
Refuses to meet mothers of fallen soldiers who blame him for deaths.
History of using paid actors in propaganda and body doubles in public.
Actions amid failures in Ukraine and alleged health issues.