Vladimir Putin appeared to have brought his ‘nuclear briefcase’ on a state visit in a chilling threat to the West.
The President brought the case to the southern Russian city of Volgograd as he marked the 80th anniversary of victory over Hitler at the Battle of Stalingrad.
Aides were seen close to the warmonger carrying two black bags, with keen observers noting one was a fold-up shield to protect Putin in the event of a shooting.
A security officer carrying the nuclear bag has been seen previously close to Putin during the war with Ukraine amid assassination fears.
Putin was seen in his official armour-plated Aurus limousine in a 25-vehicle entourage including an ambulance and tight security.
Snipers were present to protect the President and local governor Andrey Bocharov was forced into nine days of quarantine before coming into close proximity to Putin.
Locals were ordered to take time off work to keep them off the streets except for a few chosen residents — who still had to undergo days of quarantine and were barred from getting close to Putin.
Opposition politician Boris Vishnevsky accused Putin of abusing the anniversary for a “propaganda narrative” linked to his war in Ukraine which has led to thousands of Russian deaths.
Putin’s message was “that the special military [the wording he uses for the war] operation should be equated with the Great Patriotic War [WW2], that the West has always been against us, our enemy, not an ally. This is a falsification of history.”
There were reports that the city had been spruced up ahead of Putin’s visit — stray dogs were removed from the streets and tumbledown houses were screened off so Putin did not see the poverty in which his people live.
At noon, crowds were cleared from the scene of the monument to the Battle of Stalingrad, with footage showing it completely deserted for his visit in eerie scenes.
The huge security clampdown came as Putin less frequently makes major visits involving the public.
A day earlier a bust of dictator Joseph Stalin was unveiled in Volgograd, formerly known as Stalingrad.
