Russian President Vladimir Putin took part in an experiment as part of the Flight of Hope project, organized by ornithologists with the aim of rescuing a Siberian crane, which is listed in the Red Book. The President was at the helm of the hang-glider, acting as the leader of the pack. Public opinion about this is ambiguous.
Members of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation were among the first to speak about Putin's flight with cranes, who called him a "cool joke." They believe that such a decision by the president to participate in a dubious project should not have received publicity in order to avoid general criticism. However, nevertheless, this incident received a wide public response, which can significantly undermine the authority of Vladimir Putin as the elected president.
Blog users also perceived Putin's flight with cranes as a pretext for various satirical statements. Numerous jokes appeared, one of the most popular was: “Is it true that Putin flew with migratory birds to the south? Is this forever, or will he return in the spring? " In addition, a wide variety of collages and images showing the president in an "awkward" position filled the Russian Internet.
The Western press did not disregard this event either. The New York Times claims that such a "trick" by Putin causes nothing but laughter. The publication connects this event with the current political situation in the country and against its background predicts a further decline in the confidence of Russian citizens in their leader.
The Washington Times called the crane flight "a typical trick of an authoritarian president, animal lover and famous macho." You can call it a test of Putin's leadership qualities. On the first flight, only one crane followed. With the second, five birds flew after Putin, but after a few laps only two were still following him. This demonstrates well the current situation in the country.
The Slate publication claims that the president managed to subdue the flock of birds. But will he be able to do the same with Russian citizens? This question is still open.
