Vladimir Putin Resurfaces After 10 Days

The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, finally made an appearance after a 10-day absence amid larger than life gossip and joked with the media about the whole ordeal!

Russian president, Vladimir Putin, resurfaces after a 10-day absence amid a media frenzy fueled by outlandish rumors. The entire world has been diligently wondering where is Putin and some of the more exaggerated rumors of Putin’s absence involved his secret presence in Switzerland for the birth of his love child with alleged girlfriend Alina Kabaeva, being out-staged from his position as head of state in a coup, and, finally, being abducted by aliens. Some news sources also claimed Putin was simply recovering from flu and hated shown his face in public without robust health, while some downright claimed the Russian President had passed away.

The trend #WhereisPutin became a trend on Twitter last week, while Putin’s spokesperson denied every claim and stressed the president is in perfect condition, with such a firm handshake it could break a hand. The spokesperson Dmitry Peskov further emphasized that Putin was simply busy with a rigorous schedule and state duties.

Finally, on Monday, the speculations around the world were put to rest as Putin made an appearance to meet the President of Kyrgyzstan, Almazbek Atambayev, at the extravagant Konstantinov’s Palace a little outside of Saint Petersburg. At the meeting, Putin addressed the rumors circulating about him and joked what everyone will do if there is no gossip and life would be so boring without speculation. 

According to some journalists, the 10-day disappearance was a trademark move of Putin as he loves to seek attention and thrives on it, and there was plenty of attention surrounding his vanishing act while the whole world buzzed about his whereabouts. However, the withdrawal was a little surprising for the Russian President who never misses a chance to be photographed. 

The meeting with President Atambayev was part of a decision to order the Russian Navy’s Northern Fleet and paratrooper to go into activation mode and start their military exercises for future threats. The defense minister of Russia, Sergei Shoigu, is responsible for the modernization of the Russian army in the face of new security threats. The RIZ quoted Shoigu as stating the strategic formation of troops in the North needs special attention and requires the military to boost its strength. The new military plans are a work of increasing exercises by the NATO forces in the neighboring countries of Russia. The tension in the West and Russia are at the most critical level since the Cold War. 

Sources: SMH , CBS