Vanishing President

The wags on social media have been having a field day after Russia's President Putin disappeared from public view for a whole 10 days.

Now this would be inconceivable in a modern western democracy where politicians like President Obama, Chancellor Merkel and Prime Minister Cameron are constantly in the public eye, unless they take a programmed break such as a family holiday and even then the news media would be aware of their whereabouts.

But in Russia much of the press and media is under state control and so their head of state can vanish from the national radar screen and everyone's too scared to say boo to a goose!  

Where has Putin been? The best of the memes


The 10-day disappearance of Russian President Vladimir Putin - who prior to Monday had not been seen in public for nearly two weeks - led to the internet responding to his vanishing act in the only way it knows how: memes.

Inevitably, some wondered whether he had escaped the public eye on the back of a weasel riding a woodpecker.


There was some speculation about whether the tough Russian leader had developed an illness or health problem.



As the days went by, rumours of his death also began circulating online.


But some thought the busy world leader might have just packed his bags and gone for some rest and recuperation in sunnier climes.


Whatever the real reason, Mr Putin reappeared on Monday to meet his Kyrgyz counterpart, Almazbek Atambayev, in his home city, St Petersburg.