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“As much of a patriot as I am, this is totally f*cked”: United Russia sends mobilized soldiers an icon of Putin for Easter, reports 36.6

The Insider

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United Russia deputies sent icons of Russian president Vladimir Putin to mobilized servicemen from Perm in the combat zone for Easter. A mobilized native of Perm who is now in the Zaporizhzhia sector shared the story with the Telegram channel Perm 36.6. The channel included a photo and video of the icon in the report.

“People bring us volunteer aid, and we make videos to confirm receipt and thank them. This time, something went wrong. At first, we were happy someone remembered us, especially with the holiday ahead, but as it turned out, it had nothing to do with the holiday. As much of a patriot as I am, this is totally f*cked,” the soldier said.

In the video, a man in a military uniform cuts open a cardboard box with the United Russia logo on top. “Are you recording?” he asks. “Let’s see what they have for us this time. Plastic cups, holy water, cereals...’For prayer.’” He takes the ziploc bag with the caption “for prayer” and unfolds it. Inside, there's Putin’s portrait styled as a Russian Orthodox icon. “Oh, for f*ck’s sake. Turn it off.”

Meanwhile, Russian troops in the Kherson Region also received an icon from Putin - although a more conventional one. Putin brought the gift in person, during his visit on April 8 – unplanned, as the Kremlin claims. The president traveled to the headquarters of the Dnepr grouping in the Kherson section, wished the troops a happy Easter and presented a replica of an icon. As Putin said, the original belonged to “one of the most successful defense ministers of the Russian Empire”. Judging by videos and reports released by state-owned media, Putin then took a helicopter to the military headquarters in the so-called “LPR”.