Vladimir Putin’s not shedding any sleep over the Ukraine battle.
The Russian president appeared to go to sleep in the course of the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics Friday as Ukraine’s nationwide crew marched by means of the stadium.
The world chief was caught on digicam slumped in his chair together with his eyes closed because the athletes have been launched and their nationwide anthem blared, in accordance with the UK Unbiased.
Putin’s eyes then flitted open and he was up and at ‘em by the point the Russian Olympic Committee crew entered Beijing’s Nationwide Stadium, standing to salute them.
The president’s ill-timed snooze got here amid tense relations between Russia and Ukraine after Putin positioned greater than 100,000 troops on the nation’s border.
Pictures of the notoriously shrewd politician’s shuteye sparked hypothesis on Twitter later Friday that he “faked” the nap as a slight to the rival nation.
Putin was on the winter video games regardless of Russia’s four-year ban from the Olympics in 2019 because of widespread doping violations and a state-sanctioned cover-up.
The ban forbids Russian athletes from competing below their flag or listening to their nationwide anthem performed on the video games however permits them to take part because the Russian Olympic Committee.
