Putin's shaky visit to Yakutsk before North Korea trip

On his way to North Korea, Vladimir Putin visited Yakutsk, where he met with its residents. A video of the Russian leader surrounded by people has appeared online. Pro-Kremlin media wrote about a boy who, after touching Putin, claimed he "will never wash his hand again."

Many of the reports provided by Russian state media or Kremlin officials are likely not true. Such reports could be an element of the information war by the Russian Federation.

"I won’t wash my hand anymore," said the child from Yakutsk who shook hands with Vladimir Putin. A recording of the situation was published on the Kremlinpool_RIA profile on the X platform.

According to pro-Kremlin journalists, the boy was "impressed by the handshake of the Russian leader".

Putin later met with, among others, the students of the Yakutsk Higher School of Music.

The Belarusian independent portal Nexta also commented on the same meeting: "The Russian dictator tried to pretend he was 'close to the people' and 'maintained social contacts' with people in Yakutia. An unknown man from the crowd squeezed Putin's hand too tightly. Security intervened to free the Kremlin czar's hand from the strong grip. Apparently, the dictator regretted his idea and soon fled cowardly from the crowd," wrote Nexta online.

Vladimir Putin visited Yakutsk in the Russian Far East on Tuesday. From there, he is set to travel further to Pyongyang, where Kim Jong Un awaits him.

This will be Putin's first visit to North Korea since July 2000, when he talked with then-North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, the father of Kim Jong Un.

Talks between Putin and Kim Jong Un are scheduled for Wednesday.