Vladimir Putin wows viewers … by catching a pencil

Blame the pandemic. Russian state TV praises president for wrestling wayward pencils rather than wrangling wildlife.

Vladimir Putin stops a pencil rolling off his desk, right, … and is praised by state television for his ability to do so. It's a stark contrast to the days he was photographed bare-chested on horseback. Pictures: Twitter/AFP

There was a time when Russian President Putin would demonstrate his virility to the nation by riding horses bare-chested through the wilderness, swimming in Siberian rivers or recovering ancient urns from the depths of the Black Sea.

Now the state television channel Rossiya 1 has been reduced to praising the ability of the 68-year-old leader, largely confined to his residence near Moscow thanks to the pandemic, to stop pencils falling off his office desk.

“Here is actual footage of how he caught a pencil that was rolling off the table,” gushed Vladimir Solovyov, presenter of a Sunday night prime-time show. The video showed Putin reaching out a hand to prevent a wayward pencil falling on the floor. “His reactions were wonderful and he is clearly in great shape. His martial arts skills have not left him,” Solovyov said. He also asked a guest if he had tried to repeat the president’s feat and advised him to do more exercise when he confessed that he had not. Putin has a black belt in judo.

Russian TV praises Putin's reactions after he caught a pencil that was rolling off the table. "Here is actual footage how he caught a pencil that was rolling off the table. His reactions were wonderful and he is clearly in great shape -his martial arts skills have not left him." https://t.co/85VydJYb7D

— Marc Bennetts (@marcbennetts1) March 16, 2021

The program has previously praised Putin’s love for children and his physique, and even half-jokingly suggested that bears were afraid of the former KGB officer.

The video was widely mocked on social media. “If Putin hadn’t caught that pencil, it would have been caught by a NATO soldier,” a Twitter user wrote. “Even the pencil wanted to get away from Putin,” Oleg Kozyrev, a blogger, said.

Critics compared it to propaganda broadcasts in North Korea or Turkmenistan, the former Soviet state where President Berdymukhamedov, 63, is regularly shown lifting weights, firing at targets on shooting ranges or singing pop songs.

Putin has ruled Russia since 2000 and recent changes to the constitution would allow him to stay in power until 2036, when he will be 83 years old. Russians are split, however, on whether he should stay on when his fourth term expires in 2024. According to the independent Levada Centre pollster, 48 per cent of voters would like him to remain as president, and 41 per cent would like him to step down.

Putin is rapidly losing support among young people: the proportion of those aged 18-24 who no longer back him has risen over the past year from 31 per cent to 46 per cent.

The Times