Vladimir Putin has joined a group of schoolchildren in singing the national anthem in Moscow.
The Russian President awkwardly sang along with the students on stage, whilst appearing at a youth convention.
He was invited to join in on the performance by a young boy, who tapped him on the shoulder and invited him to sing.
During the performance, the Russian president stood in the middle of the students.
Putin has joined in with a group of schoolchildren in singing the national anthem in Moscow
Reuters
He passed the microphone amongst the singers, whilst the crowd waved flags and sang along.
The Russian leader hugged two of them once the song ended.
Before breaking into song, Putin and the crowd repeatedly chanted “Russia”.
The youth convention prepares young people for a “fully fledged life in society”, according to its website.
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It was first launched in 2008, under the name Movement of the First.
The national anthem is a prevalent force across the country, with prisoners being forced to listen to it in their cells.
Last week, one of Putin’s fiercest critics admitted online that he is forced to listen to pop songs about the Russian state every day in jail.
Alexei Navalny, a jailed Russian opposition leader, said that he is woken up every morning by the national anthem, followed by 'I Am Russian' by Shaman.
Talking about the routine ordeal on social media, he said: “Every day at five o'clock in the morning, we hear the command: 'Get up!' followed by the Russian national anthem and then immediately afterwards, the country's second most important song is played - 'I am Russian' by Shaman.”
Putin sang at a youth convention, which prepares young people for a “fully fledged life in society”
Reuters
On the same day the cringeworthy video was released, Ukrainian drones eviscerated a Russian warship in a kamikaze attack.
Kyiv’s defence ministry shared footage of the attack against Vladimir Putin’s Black Sea Fleet, claiming to have destroyed a supersonic missile-armed corvette yesterday.
The Kremlin claimed Ukraine fired at least 20 miles at various targets around Crimea on Wednesday. However, Russia is confident it shot down all missiles launched.
Moscow also claimed no damage was inflicted on Russian aircraft stationed in Crimea.
The average daily number of Russian casualties in Ukraine has risen by almost 300 during the course of 2023, the UK's Ministry of Defence has claimed.
If the numbers continue at the current rate over the next year, Russia will have lost over half a million personnel in Ukraine.
