EXPOSED: Putin Rocks '90s Track Suit and Sleeveless Shirt as He Cuts Loose in Leaked Video
Finnish outlet YLE uncovered footage of Vladimir Putin from the 1990s.
Sept. 25 2023, Published 2:30 p.m. ET
Video footage of Vladimir Putin donning a tracksuit and long, unkept hair has emerged, RadarOnline.com has learned.
The footage of the much younger Putin starkly contrasted the domineering front that the Kremlin leader desperately pushed to his country and the media amid rumors of his deteriorating health.
A young Putin dons boyish long hair in footage captured at the rise of his political career.
In the video obtained by Finnish broadcaster YLE, Putin appeared to be around 40 years old on a visit to Finland in the 1990s. At the time, the Russian despot's political career was quickly picking up steam.
The future Kremlin leader presented a relaxed and immature demeanor with a green and purple tracksuit and long, boyish-like hair that added to his meekness.
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Putin looks relaxed and far from macho in a purple and green tracksuit.
In addition to Putin's shockingly laid-back appearance in the clip, the Russian leader was captured clowning around with others during the visit, a sight that was certainly unheard of today.
Putin appeared to enjoy his time with the affluent group while they visited the island of Torsö in Raseborg. On the island, they stayed at a villa owned by the Finnish trade company Thomesto, which imported timber from Russia at the time.
With a smile from ear to ear, Putin was caught on camera joking with others — and was even down for a friendly game of ping pong with then-mayor Anatoly Sobchak, who had appointed Putin the head of the Committee for External Relations.
Putin reportedly cracked jokes at the dinner table and even played a round of pingpong.
Later in the footage, Putin continued to let his guard down at dinner while he chowed down with the group. At one point, Putin charmed his fellow dinner guests with a joke about the market economy, which had recently been introduced to Russia after the fall of communism.
Nowadays, Putin has kept all aspects of his personal and public life fiercely guarded. Carefully selected images of Putin released to Russian state media portray the president as stoic, macho, and ruthless.
Much has changed since Putin played ping pong in a tracksuit and joked about the economy with Finnish execs. Now, the Kremlin leader was said to be extremely paranoid and feared being assassinated.
Putin has held power as president or prime minister of Russia since 1999.
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After Putin ordered the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, his once dominating image has continued to diminish. Once close allies criticized his military's leadership after Russian troops faced hardships on the frontlines.
The late Wagner Mercenary Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, who was at one point considered among Putin's closest friends, called on his men to march to Moscow in opposition to Kremlin military officials before he called off his troops — and the almost coup — miles short of Russia's capital city.
Though the military coup was not successful, it stood as a pivotal moment not only in the Russia/Ukraine war but for Putin's reign, as it threatened the tight grip Putin held over his cronies and his so-called unshakeable image.
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