And suddenly the Kremlin tyrant Vladimir Putin (69) was gone – and his last words were drowned out by deafening party music.
It was supposed to be THE mega propaganda show on the anniversary of the annexation of Crimea exactly eight years ago. Dictator Vladimir Putin called for a propaganda show at Moscow’s Luzhniki Olympic Stadium, where the 2018 World Cup final was played.
But something went wrong: Putin’s speech was broadcast live on TV, the Kremlin boss spoke of his courageous soldiers who stood together heroically, even referred to the Bible – when he was suddenly gone on state television!
In the middle of the sentence, a blatant cut: Suddenly, cheering was shown at a music performance. A singer and a choir sang (“Ruuuusslaand!”), the crowd repeated the lyrics.
Sergei Sobyanin, the mayor of Moscow, helped heat up the crowdPhoto: AZ/AP
The propaganda show at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium came to an abrupt end. The world is puzzled: what was going on?
Putin previously praised the war in Ukraine as a “heroic” effort by the Russian army. He promised to the cheers of the crowds: “We will implement ALL the planned measures.”
The “Z” is the new symbol for support for the brutal Ukraine war, which is just called “military special operation” herePhoto: IMAGO/SNA
How many people were live at the Putin celebration – unclear. The stadium has a capacity of 80,000 seats.
BILD reporter Peter Tiede discovered on site that masses of Russians were still running out of the stadium during the event!
How so? The BILD reporter asked and got the answer: “We have registered, now we can go home.” Apparently there is a kind of attendance requirement, perhaps for party members of Putin’s party “United Russia”.
But one thing is clear: There are many Russians who are loyal to Putin, but apparently not all of them are 100% fans.
Celebrity singers and actors create a great atmosphere with concert performancesPhoto: action press
Nevertheless, there was singing in the stadium, national unity was conjured up and the new war symbol, the “Z”, waved.
Bizarre glitch on state TV
“For Putin” see on this banner Photo: HOST PHOTO AGENCY/via REUTERS
In any case, the stands are full – probablyPhoto: action press
So when did Putin speak? Which pictures are from when? Was it a technical glitch, was there sabotage somewhere? Everything is completely unclear!
One thing is clear: Putin convened his national security council on Friday and dealt with the situation in Ukraine.
And he also phoned Chancellor Olaf Scholz (63, SPD). In the almost hour-long conversation, the chancellor pushed for a ceasefire “as soon as possible,” according to government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit. Putin accused Ukraine of delaying the negotiations and also accused her of war crimes.
According to French information, another telephone call with French President Emmanuel Macron is scheduled for the afternoon.
As a reminder, the reason for the Putin party: Crimea was first occupied by Russia in a covert military operation, then Putin “legitimized” the annexation through a sham referendum, which of course was accepted with high approval on March 18th.