Published: 12:39, 22 Feb 2023
VLADIMIR Putin took to the stage at a flop pro-war rally today after bribing crowds to attend with a fiver and sausages.
Thousands were bussed in for a bizarre concert at Moscow's half-empty Luzhniki Stadium to mark one year since the deluded dictator's shambolic invasion of Ukraine.
As Putin appeared on stage for just two minutes, the Russian dictator told the stadium: "We are proud of those who are fighting in Ukraine to defend the fatherland."
The 70-year-old led the crowd in chants of "Russia" and then swiftly exited the stage in what appeared to be a heavily choreographed event.
And just minutes later, thousands were seen streaming out of the stadium in a humiliating blow for Putin as a dwindling crowd continued watching performances and speeches inside.
The Russian leader held the rally to mark both one year of his disastrous war and tomorrow's Defender of the Fatherland Day.
And the public were bribed to attend with a meagre £5.54, along with the promise of hot meals and free Russian flags to wave.
According to reports, volunteers set up "camp kitchens" to let people sample military rations.
Footage showed free sausages and buckwheat being dished out in small plastic bowls to Putin's patriotic supporters.
One government department forced 70 per cent of its workers to attend the concert, The Moscow Times reports.
A state employee said: "To be honest, I think it’s absurd.
"We have to go and there’s nothing we can do with it.
"The authorities are using it as a propaganda tool to show off in the eyes of Z-patriots and those who watch TV. I wouldn’t go to the event voluntarily."
Organisers have also desperately appealed to university students to attend by telling them they "will be freed up from classes for the whole day".
Another ad promised university credits and "free food and gifts" for students.
One woman said the Kremlin had mobilised 300,000 people for the rally.
Although the stadium, where England were knocked out of the World Cup by Croatia in 2018, only has capacity for 80,000.
"They say 200,000 should be here," she said.
The crowds were ordered not to wear yellow or blue - the colours of the Ukrainian flag.
It comes a day after Putin accused the West of trying to start a "global" war and made a veiled nuclear threat as he rambled his way through a deranged state-of-the-nation speech.
But the address suffered a mass blackout as Russian state TV channels were reportedly hit with a huge hack attack.
The web links of main state channels which are part of All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company [VGTRK ] were taken down as he spoke.
Instead of Putin's speech, a notice on screen announced "Mistake 500" and that "technical works" were underway.
Jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s team claimed Putin said the websites of Russian TV channels were subjected to a DDoS attack during Putin's speech to the Federal Assembly.
Russian state TV is tightly controlled and such interruptions are highly unusual.
But the leader's pro-war speech at the same stadium last year was also mysteriously cut off as he was praising his troops amid rumours of planted stooges in the crowd.
He was cut off mid-sentence as he was saying: "It so happened that the beginning of the operation coincided by chance with the birthday of one of our outstanding military..."
Around 10 minutes later, the Kremlin chief's speech was replayed from the start to finish before he walked off stage.
The Kremlin claimed a technical glitch was behind the interrupted transmission of Putin's speech to to mark the eighth anniversary of Crimea's annexation.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/21476839/putin-packs-stadium-warped-pro-war-rally/
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