Vladimir Putin visited the Ustyansk district of the Arkhangelsk region on February 10. Locals counted 12 cars with tinted windows in the President's motorcade. His arrival was also accompanied by frequent helicopter flights to the town of Oktyabrsky, an "unusually large number of traffic cops," and the detention of local journalists.
Videos recorded by local residents show Vladimir Putin's motorcade of 12 cars with tinted windows. This is how he came to the town of Oktyabrsky to survey the timber industry complex that is on the verge of shutting down due to sanctions. In comments, people reminded Putin of his yellow Lada-Kalina which he drove in 2010, and asked him why he doesn’t support the Russian car industry this time. Coming in executive class "NATO automobiles" is seen as a sign of the president’s indifference to the national economy.
The 29.ru informs that before President Putin's arrival, helicopters began hovering over the town, and "an unusually large number of traffic cops" appeared. The streets had been cleared of snow. In the hotels, all rooms were booked. One of the hotels was suddenly closed, and in the other everyone had to self-isolate.
Shortly before Putin's arrival, police detained two 29.ru correspondents, Yaroslav Varenik and Anton Danilov. They were recording a report near the timber plant. Later, they were released.
In Oktyabrsky, Putin observed the cones treatment process, met with Arkhangelsk Governor Alexander Tsybulsky, and wrote a compliment for a good job on a plaque at the sawmill.
Arkhangelsk Oblast is the second region visited by Putin in February. Earlier, he went to Volgograd for the anniversary of the Battle of Stalingrad. By his arrival, the city had been cleared of stray dogs, the downtown Internet was disconnected, and law enforcement officers had personally warned every local activist "not to make errors of the past." A week before the president’s arrival, governor Andrei Bocharov disappeared from the public. Presumably, he was on the quarantine that is mandatory for officials before meeting with the president.
Speaking in Volgograd, Putin said that "we are again being threatened by German tanks.”
