Handle Comes Off Putin’s Military Upgrade in Patriot Test
Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, observes military vehicles after a meeting with Defense Ministry officials in Sochi, Russia, on May 12, 2016.
Photographer: Mikhail Svetlov/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
President Vladimir Putin praised recent improvements in Russian military equipment at meetings with defense chiefs on Thursday. It probably wasn’t a good day for the handle literally to come off those claims.
As the president struggled to open the passenger door of a new UAZ Patriot vehicle, General Alexander Shevchenko stepped in and ripped the handle off the truck. “Well done,” Putin said, according to a Lifenews video of the incident, which also showed Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov looking startled.