As the war rages on in Europe, the 70th birthday of Vladimir Putin, the man who brought soldiers into Ukrainian soil in a conflict that has been going on for more than seven months, was in the news. The President of Russia celebrated his birthday this Friday, and in addition to the messages, not all congratulations, he was given a tractor and even melons.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko offered his ally, his Russian counterpart, a gift card that matched a tractor, which he told reporters is similar to one he uses in his yard.refers to AP.
Today is Vladimir Putin’s 70th birthday. There are reports that Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko gave Putin a gift card – for a Belarusian tractor
— Will Vernon (@BBCWillVernon) October 7, 2022
The offer was made in St. Petersburg, where the two were at an informal meeting of the leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States, formed by former Soviet republics. However, it is not known how the Russian president reacted to this gift revealed by the office of Lukashenko, whose country has a tractor industry.
“It’s a Belarusian tractor. It’s the best,” Lukashenko said.
Interestingly, the tractor is one of the symbols of the Ukrainian resistance. In the early stages of the war, images circulated of Russian tanks that had been abandoned along roads in Ukraine and were being towed away by tractors.
Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon allegedly offered Putin pyramids of melons and watermelons, according to the BBC.
Tajikistan’s president apparently gave President Putin two pyramids of melons pic.twitter.com/ogvnHmzFpn
— Will Vernon (@BBCWillVernon) October 7, 2022
As for the reports, the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, asked the faithful to pray for Putin. “God has brought him to power so that he could perform a service of special importance and great responsibility at the head of the destiny of the country and the people entrusted to his care,” he said.
Ramzan Kadyrov, the Chechen leader, shared a post on social media in which he congratulated “the leader of an entire people” whom he considered to be one of the most influential and exceptional personalities in the world today.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Viatcheslav Volodine, shared a portrait of the president on social media with the caption: “If there is Putin, then Russia exists”.
But unsurprisingly, the messages to Putin on his 70th birthday were not just to congratulate him. According to The New York Times, Ukrainian hackers posted a note on the website of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) with the following sentence: “We would like to congratulate Putin on his last birthday and wish him a comfortable trip to The Hague”. A reference to the war crime charges against Putin.
In Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, where a summit of European leaders took place this Thursday and Friday, protesters displayed a giant Putin doll sitting naked on a golden toilet.
European leaders welcomed by statue of Putin in toilet in Prague
Protesters brought statues of Putin and Belarusian ruler Lukashenka to welcome EU leaders meeting at an informal summit.https://t.co/74BMhFkBOt pic.twitter.com/4do062EZD7
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) October 7, 2022
On the day of the birthday of the Russian president, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov urged the Russian army to refuse to fight in Putin’s war. The official highlighted the hypocrisy of Russia’s leaders, saying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is visiting the front line and “is with the military,” unlike Putin. “Where’s yours?” he asked.
“We guarantee life, safety and justice to all those who immediately give up the fight,” the minister said in a video address to the Russian armed forces.
On Putin’s 70th birthday, Ukraine’s Defense Minister addresses Russian soldiers and emphasizes the hypocrisy of their leaders:
“Our president is visiting the front line… He’s with his army. And where is yours?’
One of the most moving speeches I’ve seen from anyone since February pic.twitter.com/2l1ggNS5jv
— Matthew Luxmoore (@mjluxmoore) October 7, 2022
Source: DN
