The Kremlin’s attempts to assure the public that
Vladimir Putin is alive and well and still running Russia’s government
did not go particularly well on Friday. Media outlets were presented
with a tape of President Putin meeting with a senior government official
– with no evidence of the date of the meeting. The Kremlin had
previously issued photographs found to be several days old – causing
more suspicion.
Making things even stranger, Russian TV station
Rossiya 24 aired a live report of Putin’s meeting with Kyrgyzstan
President Almazbek Atambayev, though the meeting is not scheduled to
occur until Monday.
Related: Where in the World Is Vladimir Putin?
The outlet
reported on the meeting in the past tense, according to
Ukraine Today,
saying of the two leaders, “They talked about cooperation in investment
and humanitarian spheres and the energy sector. They also discussed the
possibility of Kyrgyzstan joining the Eurasian Union.”
The British Broadcasting Corporation’s Russian language outlet contacted Rossiya 24 about the incident and was told,
“An error had occurred.”
Meanwhile,
numerous reports
began to surface Friday afternoon that key journalists in Moscow had
been told to expect a major announcement from the Kremlin over the
weekend. Some reports suggested the announcement would be made by Putin,
while others simply said it would come from the Kremlin.
The
report about the pending announcement could not be independently
verified. There was no such notice on the Kremlin Press Office’s
English-language website.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has
consistently told reporters President Putin is in good health and
working his normal schedule.
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