Claim: Footage allegedly shows Russian President Vladimir Putin revealing the true face, black face of Jesus and claims that the clip has been banned.
Conclusion: The claim is totally false. Russian President Vladimir Putin did not reveal the face of black Jesus. The clip showcases Putin revealing an Orthodox icon to the military amid the Russian-Ukraine war from April, 2023.
Rating: Totally False — 
Several social media users have claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin has revealed the face of black Jesus. A Social media user made the claim on X stating that US President Vladimir Putin “Allegedly” opened an ANCIENT BOX REVEALING that JESUS was BLACK on Aug 2 , 2024 as seen below and here.
The claim also showcases various Orthodox paintings in the video, originating from an unverified source that showcases various black Biblical figures. For instance of an icon of Saint Moses, the Black and an iconographic depiction of Saint Nicholas among other Eastern Orthodox paintings, suggesting that it would support the black Jesus narrative.
‼️PUTIN “Allegedly” opened an ANCIENT BOX REVEALING that JESUS was BLACK 😳 pic.twitter.com/zBlr947EoT
— i Expose Racists & Pedos (@SeeRacists) August 1, 2024
ANother Verified X user ‘AfricanHub_’ shared a similar claim on Aug 9, 2024 with the caption : “The President of Russia Putin opened an ancient box revealing that Jesus was Black” alongside a dim video. The post implies a suppressed revelation tying Putin to biblical secrets, garnering views through conspiracy appeal. View the post below –
The President of Russia Putin opened an ancient box revealing that Jesus was Black
This secret has been hidden from Africans for years
Your comments on this pic.twitter.com/AMzELyB8pO
— African Hub (@AfricanHub_) August 8, 2024
Similar claims have been made again on June 22 , 2025 which can be viewed here.
FACT CHECK
DigitEYE India decided to investigate this claim and found that it is false. The video footage in the claimed video dates back to April 2023 when Putin addressing the military amid the Russian-Ukraine war. He showcased an orthodox military icon, which he later presented to the military commanders.
We first conducted a web search with keywords “Putin reveals the true face, black face of Jesus” to learn about the claim. There were no credible reports from media outlets to support any incident like this.
Following this, we conducted a reverse image search from various keyframes of the video. We landed upon the original video that was well lit and not edited, published by RIA Novosti (Russian: РИА Новости), a Russian state owned news agency. The report written on April 18, 2023 is titled : В Кремле рассказали об иконах, которые Путин подарил военным. In English it reads: “Kremlin revealed the icons Putin gifted to the military.”
Furthermore, the report by RIA Novosti also highlights how Russian President Vladimir Putin presented the “Savior Not Made by Hands” icons to the military whose copies belong to Minister Pyotr Vannovsky. Russian Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov announced that, “Putin will donate the original to the Armed Forces Cathedral.” View the original video of Putin showcasing the icon to the soldiers on Telegram here.
Following this, we came upon another report published by BBC on April 18, 2023. This report reveals that Putin visited the occupied Kherson and Luhansk regions of Ukraine and “gifted officers a copy of an orthodox icon to servicemen.” There is no mention of anything related to the true face or black Jesus. View a section of the report below:
We then searched for more information on the “Savior Not Made by Hands” icon that Putin gifted the military. According to OrthodoxWiki, The Saviour Not Made by Hands icon is a revered representation of Jesus Christ, traditionally believed to be miraculously created, not painted by human hands. It is believed that when King Abgar of Edessa, who was suffering from leprosy could not visit Jesus. So he sent his court painter, Ananias, telling him to paint an image of the Divine Teacher. He attempted to produce an image of the Lord Jesus Christ from afar, but could not. Then the Lord called for water and a towel. He wiped His face with the towel, and on it was His Divine Image. This divine imprint was sent back to the king which healed him.
Coming to the latter part of the claimed video which mentions Russia opens its historical vaults to reveal black Biblical Icons and there’s been a debate going on around the world, disturbed by the unveiling of these black icons, some tend to think that icons have blackened over time due to age.
But when we checked for the original video of this part, these icons were from a 2011 exhibition of Russian icons ranging 14th to 19th-century, held at the Castel Sant’Angelo museum in Rome.
In this video the commentator says: “These large number of icons have come to Italy. Icons are usually painted on wood. The orthodox tradition considers them as if they were the gospel, inspirations of God through the hands of an artist. The Holy cross through its gold background, divine light and the cloth attached to the wood evokes the cloth that covered the body of Jesus Christ. These have great importance and fundamental recognition in Russia, because these icons represent for Russia. Its a rare opportunity to see the religious soul of Russia through its ancient icons. (sic)” .
No where it was mentioned that Jesus was black as said in the claimed video.
Video can be seen below and here:
Hence Putin did not reveal anything about the true face of Jesus or black Jesus. He was only giving the military a copy of this icon which once belonged to Minister Pyotr Vannovsky, a prominent Russian defense general from the 19th century.
Thus, the claim is false.
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