‘Who started it?’: Viral video sparks speculation about ‘drunk’ Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Putin: In the video, Vladimir Putin can be heard saying, “All the nonsense, the informational standoff, the informational throw-ins, all the fakes–they must stand aside.

A video of an allegedly intoxicated Vladimir Putin discussing the Russia-Ukraine war was widely shared on Twitter. The video, posted by a user named Dmitri, says that “Drunk Putin explains why strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure will continue.”

In the video, the Russian president can be heard saying, “All the nonsense, the informational standoff, the informational throw-ins, all the fakes–they must stand aside. They should not prevent us from fulfilling our duty to our people.”

Vladimir Putin said people don’t have to be “particularly well-versed” to understand the current state of affairs, adding that “there’s a lot of noise” about Russia’s repeated strikes against critical Ukrainian infrastructure.

“Yes, we are doing it. But who started it? Who struck the Crimean bridge?” Vladimir Putin said.

“Who blew up the power lines of the Kursk nuclear power station? Who is not providing water to Donetsk?”, he added.

Anna Nemtsova, a journalist based in Moscow, tweeted that Putin’s alleged intoxication is a first during his time in office.

“We’ve seen many staged photo & video shoots in 20 Years including half-naked Putin on a horse or diving for some Greek jugs, Putin flying w migratory birds or kissing a boy on the stomach but drunk speeches about Russian missiles striking neighbouring state must be Putin’s own act (sic),” she tweeted.