Putin chuckles as he hugs girl, 8, during Kremlin tour weeks after coup

05 July 2023 , 11:42

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Putin chuckles as he hugs girl, 8, during Kremlin tour weeks after coup

An eight-year-old school girl was hosted by the Kremlin today as she joined a call between Vladimir Putin and his finance minister to petition for funding for her region.

Raisat Akipova, from Dagestan, was welcomed by the despot in a video shared through the Kremlin's social media channels.

It was Putin's latest appearance after a band of war-hardened mutineers, lead by Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigzozhin, aborted their mission just hours before marching on Moscow.

Finance Minister Anton Siluanov swerved a response when he was greeted by the youngster and initially sounded confused, but within moments he had agreed to providing Dagestan a much-needed cash injection.

(SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)

Responding to the finance minister's decision, Putin shouted: "Excellent!"

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He then added: "We've got 5 billion roubles (£43,770,000) for Dagestan".

Dagestan is one of Russia's poorest regions and has been the source of thousands of Ukraine war conscripts.

Vladimir Putin said he chose Raisa Akipova to visit the Kremlin after he saw her crying when she couldn't meet him during a public spectacle appearance in Dagestan at the end of June (AP)

Putin's calls today were publicised and he was seen chuckling through them, including one chat with Raisat and the Prime Minister, Mikhail Mishustin.

When prompted by Putin, Raisat thanked Siluanov for the cash.

It later emerged that Putin had invited the girl and her parents to the Kremlin after he saw her in floods of tears when she was unable to see him when he visited Dagestan.

Raisat is from Dagestan, one of the country's poorest regions (SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)

During the visit at the end of June, Putin flew to the city of Derbent on the Caspian Sea around 2,000km from Moscow.

He said the purpose of the visit was to mark the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha and visit an ancient citadel and historic mosque.

"The Quran is sacred for Muslims and should be sacred for others," Putin remarked as he was gifted a copy of the Quran.

The stunt came as additional funding was provided to the region (AP)

He then said "Disrespecting religions is a crime in Russia, unlike in some countries" in reference to Sweden allowing the burning of the holy text.

Another video released by state media showed the brute striding onto a city square with confidence and a huge smile on his face, as he attempted to demonstrate public support and popularity.

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Ryan Fahey