Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is still emerging two months after a failed rebellion by mercenary Wagner Forces, has undergone a noticeable change in his behaviour.
The Russian leader, who is known for his seclusion, secretive visits, and forcing visiting leaders to sit at the opposite end of giant tables, is seen meeting Russians, interacting with children, and making unexpected visits.
He recently hoisted a young girl onto his hip in Kronstadt, posed shoulder-to-shoulder with young children, and shook their father’s hand at a naval parade.
Change of Behaviour
While rival Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky is making made regular visits to frontline and crowded ceremonies, Putin is making appearance among crowds in orchestrated appearances.
According to a report in The New York Times, Putin is portraying himself as in touch and in charge after the Wagner rebellion.
In Kronstadt, the Russian leader met a crowd of people on the streets and posed for photographs with people, with bodyguards standing nearby. He also greeted children and hugged many people in the crowd.
“What about the quarantine?” a journalist asked Putin, to which the latter replied, “The people are more important than quarantine.”
In a rare move, Putin along with his guest from Belarus Alexander Lukashenko posed for a picture with a newly wed couple after the bride requested to click a photograph together.
During a visit to Kronstadt, Putin had a peculiar encounter. Among the people who wanted to take a picture with the president was a bride pic.twitter.com/KrOL2Y4roE— RT (@RT_com) July 23, 2023
Putin has for long loathed populist retail politics, common among American politicians, as frivolous and vulgar.
He has preferred more controlled events like inspecting production facilities, meeting worker’s bodies and presiding military events.
Withdrawn Autocrat
Following Covid-19 pandemic, Putin was known for his seclusion and maintaining isolation from public events.
In a viral photo of French President Emanuel Macron’s visit to Moscow, the French leader was made to sit at the opposite end of a long table for his talks after he refused to take a Kremlin-administered Covid-19 test.
During one of the meetings, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was also seen sitting at the opposite end of a different, extremely long table during a one-on-one meeting with the President. Putin was also seen sitting on such long tables while meeting other heads of states including Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
At the Russia Day awards ceremony in the Kremlin, Putin was captured maintaining a distance from the audience, drawing comments on social media.
What Changed After Rebellion
After the failed June 24 rebellion by Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin seems to have changed the calculation.
Days after Prigozhin’s mutiny, Putin travelled to Russian city of Derbent and appeared before a crowd screaming with delight, which was unique for the leader in many years.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said Putin went against the ‘strong recommendations’ from experts and made a decision to interact with the crowd because “he couldn’t refuse these people and not greet them.”
However, after the strongest blow to Putin’s legitimacy post-Prigozhin’s rebellion, the Russian leader wants to send a message to Russia’s elite that he maintains the adoration of the Russian citizens.
He also recently hosted as many as seventeen African leaders in his native Saint Petersburg to show West that he has the legitimacy of the international bloc.
Putin may also be preparing for presidential election next March which will his fifth elections. According to Sam Greene, director for democratic resilience at the Center for European Policy Analysis, Putin might be ramping up his public activity before the election though he has not made his candidacy official yet.
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