Wild speculation that Russian President Vladimir Putin has actually lived through two world wars would at least help to explain his diabolical behaviour in the 21st century.
The 70-year-old has blood on his hands after ordering Russian troops to invade Ukraine in February, with thousands dead on both sides of the nine-month fight in eastern Europe.
But has the autocratic leader been here before when it comes to bloodshed?
Beady-eyed history fans have spotted pictures from 1920 and 1941, showing individuals with a close resemblance to the Kremlin incumbent.
Both shots show men with a sharp nose and thin lips, matching Vlad’s complexion when he was young, and dressed in military gear.
The black-and-white snaps are enough to make viewers do a double-take to make sure it isn’t a mock-up, as they look uncannily like a more youthful Putin.
The 1941 snap appears to have been taken of a Russian soldier on active duty for the Soviets during the Second World War.
The earlier 1920 image would have been taken only two years after the end of World War I.
Far-fetched though it may be, the photos — which first came to public attention in 2015 — have not stopped conspiracy theorists from speculating whether Putin might hold the key to a time machine.
Another theory reportedly circulated by die-hard supporters of the former KGB agent is that the images hint at Mr Putin’s “immortal” nature.
Disclose.tv reported: “On social networks are circulating pictures from 1920, and in 1941, for which some people claim that they are pictures of Putin.
"In fact, supporters of the thesis that Putin is almighty and immortal have launched a story that their president is a mythical creature that resides on our planet for hundreds, if not thousands of years."
That former Russian soldiers look like modern people living in today's Communist country should not be too much of a surprise.
But it does sometimes feel like Putin has been around forever, having had a hand in running Russia since 1999.
He became president that year and has steadily grabbed more power, with international observers calling elections in Russia a farce and the president's opponents locked up.
Even before he came to power, Putin was no stranger to war and controversy.
As director of the Federal Security Service (FSB) — the successor to the KGB — he played a major part in co-ordinating the early Russian attacks in the Second Chechen War in 1999.
Moscow, in a form of destruction later seen used by Putin’s forces in Syria and Ukraine's Mariupol, led unrelenting bombing raids on Chechnya, forcing thousands to flee.
As well as the ongoing brutal attack on Kyiv, during his regime, Russian troops have occupied Georgia, annexed Crimea and aided Syrian dictator President Bashar al-Assad in killing his own people during the country’s civil war.
The UK has also pointed the finger at Russian agents being behind the novichok attack in Salisbury in 2018 that killed a woman and left a former Russian double agent and his daughter seriously ill.
