Putin’s adoring crowd accidentally outed as ‘extras’ by bodyguard
Credit: X/@agents_media When Vladimir Putin emerged from the Cathedral of the Annunciation in Kazan, a city in south-west Russia, he was greeted by well-wishers keen to shake his hand and tell him what a good job he was doing. But the projection of popularity as the war on Ukraine rages on – broadcast on state television for all of Russia to see – may not be quite what it seems. One of Putin‘s bodyguards was heard giving instructions into his radio to his colleagues, referring to the crowd as “extras”. Although background noise and heavy wind rendered much of the sentence inaudible, the man could be heard saying the word “massovka”, which refers to background actors hired to fill out a crowd on a film set. Vladimir Putin meets supporters in Kazan, but a bodyguard’s overheard instructions suggests they are ‘actors’ – Mikhail Metzel/AFP via Getty The purported gaffe occurred during Putin’s visit to the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan, for a two-day meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. He was filmed …
