With a jacket worth 12.000 euros, Vladimir Putin appeared yesterday at a pro-war fiesta organised to mark the anniversary of the annexation of Crimea.
According to the Daily Mail, the 69-year-old Russian president appeared on stage at Moscow's packed Luzhinskiy Stadium in Moscow wearing a white turtleneck and a jacket by Italian brand Loro Piana.
His... overcoat did not go unnoticed, however, after social media went "on fire" for its cost of 1.5 million rubles (12.000 euros), more than doublethe average annual salary of Russians last year.
The economic situation of Russians has deteriorated even more under the weight of the sanctions imposed by the West on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.
Many Western fashion houses have closed their stores in Russia, but Putin has had no trouble finding the luxury jacket at a time when his country's economy is teetering and the ruble is plummeting. Annual inflation in Russia accelerated to 12.54% based on March 11 data - and is expected to hit living standards under Putin's regime.
YouTube users likened the pro-war event to Kim Jong-un's propaganda rallies
A slew of negative comments from internet users were attracted by the live stream broadcast of Vladimir Putin's speech on Friday at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium during a pro-war event. The administrator of the channel that "set up" this live stream did not turn off the commentary feature, so there were many critical comments comparing Putin's event to Kim Jong Un's propaganda rallies in North Korea.
Regarding the several thousand people who were at the stadium to "support the invasion of Ukraine," reporters outside the facility reported, according to the Daily Mail, that they were government workers who were "pressured to attend" and students who were "promised a day off school if they attended a concert."
Source: Proto Thema
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