Where's Putin?

[Itse]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

I always worry about coups when it comes to nuclear nations, especially a major nuclear power that has nearly 2000 strategic weapons and 2000 tactical weapons.

Especially Russia, especially if Putin is deposed and we have a fractured leadership status.

Admitted.

Still, if there has been a coup, it seems to have gone pretty smoothly.

[eddly]

He's still watching House of Cards. He'll reappear when he finishes season 3.

[CaptainCrunch]

It'd be really nice to know what unit those tanks belong to.

If its the fourth guard they participated in the Yeltsin crisis. They are also part of the Moscow Military district.

It would also be interesting to know if the Taman Guard are still carrying out their duties or if they've been restricted. The Taman also have armor in their 1st Guard.

Its not FSB, as they don't really have a conventional military force, but if the Taman guard who are loyal to the office of the President are operating the tanks then those are probably Putin guys.

If its the 4th guard for example and the FSB is in play then its an indication of leadership change.

Just my two cents though.

Just for future reference if better pictures come out



Russian 2nd armored division marking which includes the 1st guard tanks



I believe that the FSB guards have bright blue shoulder flashes.

[PIMking]

Capt, who knows, they may be Ukrainian soldiers on vacation

[Fozzie_DeBear]

Let get a poll going?

What's Vlad up to?
A: Out of a job/Coup
B : Punking everyone somehow
C : Sick
D : Dead
E: Being a Daddy

[Fozzie_DeBear]

I'm going with B...he's making people guess on purpose. It's a staged disappearance.

[Vulcan]

Yeah "B" some kind of publicity stunt but it would be nice if it was "A".

[GP_Matt]

Have we considered that he is in the process of leading a covert mission? He may have flown a bear into northern Canada and is leading an assult team south as we speak. That or polar bear hunting.

[Delthefunky]

He's apparently called a big military exercise in the arctic:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-31904882

Still waiting to be seen however but he's due to meet in St. Petersburg real soon.

(Edit) darn, still alive:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-31904882

[SeeGeeWhy]

Probably went to choke out the PM of Ukraine with his own bare hands.

[Peanut]

Well that was rather anti-climatic. I was sort of hoping for a coup.

[FlamesAddiction]

It still sounds like something fishy was going on. Maybe an attempted coup and Putin came out on top? Maybe a long shot, I don't know.

I am leaning towards health issues and he is too concerned with his image to be seen as less than super-human.

[CaptainCrunch]

Loyalty test.

Putin vanishes for a few days to go ride horses on the Steppes and see's who steps up and tries knock him off of the throne

[I_H8_Crawford]

Maybe Putin died, and his clone is now in place????

[JonDuke]

Originally Posted by JonDuke

This website counts the total time Putin has been "missing"

http://putler.5riday.co/

They updated this pretty quickly too.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Loyalty test.

Putin vanishes for a few days to go ride horses on the Steppes and see's who steps up and tries knock him off of the throne

punny

[Barnet Flame]

Originally Posted by I_H8_Crawford

Maybe Putin died, and his clone is now in place????

World peace beckons!

Dave is an all round nice guy.

[Robbob]

I could see a failed coup. Kill the opposition and attempt to overthrow Putin in one swoop. Putin hides in a bunker in the Kremlin until it is safe again. Now we see how many other diplomats and higher ranking officials have "accidents" in the near future.

[FlameOn]

Well whatever he was doing earlier. He's back in full force. He just set up a huge military exercise for the Russian Northern fleet

Russian President Vladimir Putin gave the order to bring the country’s Northern Fleet to full alert in a snap combat readiness exercise Monday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said.
“The main task of the [combat readiness drill] is to assess the armed forces from the Northern Fleet’s capabilities in fulfilling tasks in providing military security of the Russian Federation in the Arctic region,” Gen. Shoigu said.

The Northern Fleet was brought to alert at 8:00 a.m. Moscow time (05:00 GMT) and includes 38,000 military personnel, 3,360 pieces of equipment, 41 ships, 15 submarines, and 110 airplanes and helicopters, Shoigu added.

http://sputniknews.com/military/2015...#ixzz3UX4s3aii

[Cheese]

Back to Huffing and Puffing and blow your house down stuff.

/sigh