Russian leader Vladimir Putin was seen almost causing a car accident after making a basic driving error while out on the road in a Lada in a bid to boost vehicle sales.
Wearing a crisp white shirt and no bulletproof vest, Putin, 71, defiantly opened a new stretch of motorway in the Tver region on Monday before nearly causing what could have been a road disaster.
Footage from the moment captured the Russian president driving a black Lada Aura along the M-11 highway linking Moscow and St Petersburg (Russia’s two largest cities) before turning left in an apparent attempt to avoid a white tent obstacle ahead.
But in a driving error, the dictator fails to signal to the right as he backs up, surprising his security team in their vehicle following him and nearly rear-ending the leader’s sedan.
Putin had been driving the Lada in a bid to boost vehicle sales, but bravely ditched his bulletproof vest just days after the assassination attempt on Donald Trump.
President Vladimir Putin was seen driving a black Lada Aura along the M-11 highway linking Moscow and St Petersburg before turning left to apparently go around an obstacle with a white tent.
The tyrant leader then walks away from the store with his indicator still flashing to the left as his security team follows close behind.
But when he swerves back onto the right side of the road, he forgets to signal, causing the safety vehicle behind him to nearly crash into the back of his Lada.
The president manages to get in safely and almost avoids colliding with the larger car behind him.
The highway cruise was also his first appearance since the former US president was assassinated and since his regime accused the US government of working on an attempt to assassinate the Kremlin dictator.
After the brief ride in the Lada Aura, the president was later seen outside the vehicle surrounded by seven nervous-looking security agents.
One of his security officers handed him his jacket as he stepped out of the car, but observers noted there was no sign that Putin, without a tie, was wearing a bulletproof vest, as had been previously alleged.
Another agent carried a black briefcase, probably a folding shield to protect the dictator from possible bullets before heading to the road construction workers.
Footage taken from inside the car as he drives shows the tyrant president fiddling with his seatbelt before starting the engine and driving off.
His security personnel in their own luxury vehicle can be seen following him from the window as he drives down the road under the dazzling sun.
Smiling and chatting with an employee of HNC, a leading company in the automation industry, the Russian leader keeps his eyes on the road as he enjoys the smooth ride.
Images taken from inside the vehicle show Putin driving along the highway in a white shirt with the top button undone.
He had a small chat with an HNC employee as he made his way to the inauguration of a new section of the highway.
The appearance comes after Putin faced renewed calls to suspend foreign travel over a perceived threat of a Trump-style assassination attempt.
A senior Russian Foreign Ministry official, Maria Zakharova, accused kyiv of direct collaboration in the assassination of Putin, 71.
This followed statements over the weekend by the head of kyiv’s military intelligence agency, the GRU, that there had been unspecified failed attempts to assassinate Putin.
“There were assassination attempts, but as you can see, they have not been successful so far,” said Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov.
Zakharova said that “one of the leaders of the kyiv regime, Budanov, openly admitted that Ukrainian intelligence was preparing attempts to kill the Russian president.”
Putin’s own spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, was forced to respond by saying: “All the threats from the kyiv regime are obvious.
“Therefore, the security of the first person (Putin) is ensured at the appropriate level.”
Military analyst Sergei Markov, staunchly pro-Kremlin, admitted: “Putin is the target.
‘And not only for the SBU (Ukrainian security service) and the GRU, but also for the intelligence services of the USA and Great Britain and dozens of intelligence services of the world subordinate to them.
When he got out of the vehicle after the near-miss, Putin’s security team surrounded him.
One handed him a smart jacket, while another carried a black briefcase, probably a folding shield to protect the dictator from possible bullets.
The president flaunted his unusual lack of protective gear as he stepped out of the vehicle.
Putin addresses road construction workers after opening of new section of M-11 highway in Russia
‘That’s why I think Putin should not make any trips abroad, not even to friendly countries.
“Russia has not yet decided how to respond. And so far there has been no response. And this only encourages the enemy to intensify the offensive.”
Putin has not spoken directly about Trump’s shooting, but his spokesman blamed the “atmosphere” of U.S. politics caused by the Biden administration for allowing the shooting.
“It was obvious” that Donald Trump’s life “was in danger” before the shooting, he said.
‘The atmosphere around candidate Trump… brought about what America is facing today.’
The former US president was the target of an assassination attempt on Saturday night while he was giving a speech at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Trump was shot in the ear by 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks and is seen clutching his bloodied face and crouching behind the podium as his security team created a wall of bodies around him and the gunman was taken out.
The wounded Trump then incredibly stood up, pumped his fist in the air and repeatedly shouted “fight” as he was escorted off the stage by suited Secret Service members.