Vladimir Putin was seen taking a snooze during the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics Friday as Ukraine’s national team marched through the stadium.
The Russian President was caught on camera in his chair with his eyes closed as the Ukrainian athletes were introduced, and their national anthem was loudly played in the arena.
— MRCTV (@mrctv) February 4, 2022
A short while later, Putin appeared to perk up, and was wide awake by the time the Russian Olympic Committee team entered the stadium, and stood to salute them.
Reactions on Twitter varied, as most people said his behavior was clearly intentional, others described him as acting "like a boss," some even said he deserves an Oscar for his performance.
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Putin made an appearance at the winter games despite Russia’s four-year ban from the Olympics in 2019 due to doping violations and a state-sanctioned cover-up.
The ban forbids Russian athletes from competing under their flag or their national anthem being played at the games, but allows them to participate as the Russian Olympic Committee.
Putin's theatrics at the Olympics opening ceremony comes as the Financial Times reports that US intelligence officials believe that Russia is planning to hold a nuclear weapons exercise this month to serve as a warning for NATO not to intervene if Russian proceeds with an invasion of Ukraine.
Photo: Courtesy of Herman Van Rompuy on Flickr
