He was re-elected for another six years in 2018 and is the longest-serving Kremlin leader since Josef Stalin – according to the BBC, he could even stay in power until 2036.

Yikes, I hope nobody actually wished him “many more fruitful years ahead” or anything along that vein.

The relations between Russia and the West are strained, to put it lightly:

Russia’s ongoing tensions with the West have made headlines in recent years following the Novichok poisoning in Salisbury and allegations that the Kremlin has interfered with both US presidential elections and UK general elections.

Russia has denied any involvement in either incident, but Western allies continue to suspect the country.

US President Joe Biden even called Putin “a killer” in March, demonstrating how fractured their internationals relationship is.

One thing Putin does get credit for, perhaps, is making sure he has good PR out there, despite all the guff.

Exhibit B: this photograph of Putin fishing in 2017 to make him look like a real Russian “action” man:

Image: ALEXEY NIKOLSKY VIA GETTY IMAGES

Back to how Twitter reacted, with many imagining Putin and his bear as characters in a fantastical parallel universe:

This looks like he’s being unveiled as the lead villain in the latest Paddington movie https://t.co/1PZsl99Jhg

— Adam Evans (@A_B_Evans) October 8, 2021

This just looks like the weirdest Disney movie ever
“A story of one bear and his pet human, lost in the wilderness….” https://t.co/5b1xUIrpEl

— Steve Hawkins (@darkhawk71) October 8, 2021

Others were keen to point out how dictator-y it looked:

We’re getting into North Korean levels of leader adoration https://t.co/XfLeUgbiWc

— Matthew Cooper (@mattizcoop) October 8, 2021

First, good heavens, this is so bizarre!

Second, of course he’s popular. If you don’t agree with him, you might get killed.

Third, Putin would be tickled pink if he looked up other meanings of “bear”. https://t.co/67jm40UDkv

— Madhu Menon (@madmanweb) October 8, 2021

What is #Putin69? It sounds like something that definitely requires a safe word. https://t.co/cbTPlo0KNH

— Petrit Selimi (@Petrit) October 8, 2021

Embarrassing overall.

[source:huffingtonpost]