Notorious Botox Boy Vladimir Putin has had quite a run of mortifying events over the past few weeks. He reportedly pooped himself after falling down some stairs, and he’s been very surprised that Russia continues to suffer humiliating setbacks in Ukraine. To counter this continuing mess, Putin decided to hop in a Mercedes for a PR stunt, which involved him touring part of a bridge that was bombed in October. That bridge led to Crimea, which Putin previously annexed in 2014, seven decades after it had transferred from Soviet Russia to Soviet Ukraine.
As the New York Times previously detailed, Ukraine has never officially claimed to have destroyed this bridge (which is vital to connecting southern Ukraine and Russia). Yet it’s understood that Zelenskyy’s forces are responsible for pulling off this “spectacular act of sabotage” (with a truck full of explosives that detonated at a strategic point, also next to a traveling train) which has been particularly “embarrassing” to Putin. It signaled this his army was unable to protect its lone connection to Crimea, and structural experts also declared this to be an act of “sophisticated planning.”
As Reuters now reports, Putin is attempting to erase this Russian screw-up by driving a Mercedes across the part of the bridge that’s been repaired:
Putin, accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin, was shown on state television behind the wheel of a Mercedes, asking questions about where the attack took place.
“We are driving on the right hand side,” Putin said, as he drove across the bridge. “The left side of the bridge, as I understand it, is in working condition, but nevertheless it needs to be completed. It still suffered a little, we need to bring it to an ideal state.”
Footage of Putin’s tour landed straight on Russian State TV, perhaps in an effort to falsely communicate a military comeback to the Russian people.
Putin visited Kerch bridge and drove on the lane that was repaired after the explosion in February. He also talked to construction workers.
Do you think he really was there? pic.twitter.com/n3bSz4lNtt
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) December 5, 2022
And it’s no wonder that we’re seeing a more “desperate” Putin these days. He’s terrified of being killed if this war doesn’t somehow turn around. Given the difficulty of Putin staying stocked up with troops and supplies, however, he probably shouldn’t expect a Russian miracle anytime soon.
(Via Reuters & New York Times)