A grimacing Vladimir Putin was seen tightly gripping his desk as his most trusted general reported to him that invaded Ukrainians are showing their “support” for occupying Russian soldiers.
The surreal scene shows a Kremlin meeting between Russian President Putin and Viktor Zolotov, 68, who is director of the Russian National Guard and has lost thousands of his men in the war.
It is not the first time Putin has appeared to grip his desk and people have noted previously it may be his way of stopping his hand from shaking uncontrollably amid suspicions he is suffering from early Parkinson’s Disease.
On this occasion, he clasped the table with his right hand, but at one point his left too.
The video is odd since Zolotov mainly recites the routine duties of the national guard, which Putin knows well since he set up the military force and is its commander in chief.
He then claims that invaded Ukrainians are welcoming Russian forces, despite estimates suggesting 75,000 Russian soldiers have been lost or maimed.
“I want to specifically stress that we feel support from the residents of the liberated territories,” said Zolotov, in defiance of Ukrainian resistance across the frontline in Ukraine.
Zolotov is believed to be trusted by Putin, unlike defence minister Sergei Shoigu who he has apparently lost confidence in.
The session comes soon after the Russian exiled independent media revealed that five years ago Zolotov flew on a lavish private jet to the Seychelles accompanied by an army of glamorous women including a British-educated “emotional intelligence coach” and several other high-ranking national guardsmen.
The trip is seen as controversial because it came the day after Zolotov signed a lucrative exclusive deal with companies run by pro-Putin tycoon Boris Vaninsky to provide food for the national guards above market price, it has been alleged.
Zolotov’s grandson was educated at a prestigious British school, Cranleigh School in Surrey, alongside close friends of Luiza Rozova, 19, Putin’s secret daughter who has vanished from social media since before the start of the war in Ukraine.
This is despite Putin’s public hostility to Russian people enjoying the benefits of living in the West.
He once said an appetite for European cuisine and climates must mean people are mentally unwell.
