the victoria yacht putin

See inside President Vladimir Putin's opulent $100 million superyacht

• Russian President Vladimir Putin spent $32 million refitting a superyacht, a new report suggests.
• The yacht, called Graceful, was renovated while Russian soldiers were fighting in Ukraine.
• Photos of the vessel were shared by an investigation from dissident Alexei Navalny's team.

While his troops flooded into Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin was spending millions of dollars on an opulent refit of one of his superyachts, according to an investigation from opposition leader Alexei Navalny's team.

The imprisoned anti-corruption campaigner's team released plans for the yacht called Graceful and said to belong to Russian President Vladimir Putin, that show a helipad, a sauna, an indoor swimming pool that can convert into a dancefloor, and an elaborate dining room with seating for 12 people.

Photos of the lavishly decorated interior also show marble bathrooms, champagne-colored carpets that cost as much as $88,000, and lavish bedrooms containing beds worth around $34,000.

The investigation also shared pictures of an elegant bookcase that it said contained a photo album of Saint Petersburg, a Russian-German dictionary, and a book about former Russian Prime Minister Pyotr Stolypin, assassinated in Ukraine in 1911.

The total cost of the works came to $32 million, according to the investigation.

"Half of the country is forced to raise money for underwear and socks for mobilized soldiers and to make trench candles, while the person who unleashed this war spends three billion roubles just on repairs and purchases for his yacht," the report says.

The 269-foot yacht, which left Hamburg, Germany , just before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, is worth around $100 million.

The Navalny team also published an email from January 2022 to the managers of the Blohm & Voss shipyard, which says that the "owner of Graceful is not happy with refit execution."

"They are dissatisfied with delays in construction schedule," it continues, before adding that the "owners wish to remove Graceful on 01 of February to Russian Federation to complete refit."

The message also mentions concerns about potential delays caused by rising COVID-19 cases and asks the shipbuilders to "accelerate all works which may interfere with Graceful sailing out on 01 February."

The ship was finally seen departing Hamburg on February 7 as it made its way to Kaliningrad, Russia.

The vessel has been under investigation by the US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control since last year.

"OFAC is identifying Russia-flagged Graceful and Cayman Islands-flagged Olympia, as blocked property in which President Vladimir Putin has an interest," the US Treasury website said in a June 2022 press release.

"While the leader of Russia, Putin has taken numerous trips on these yachts, including a 2021 trip in the Black Sea where he was joined by Alyaksandr Lukashenka, the OFAC-designated corrupt ruler of Belarus, who has supported Russia's war against Ukraine," it adds.

The Navalny team also highlighted a phone shown in one of the photographs of an office on the yacht in which a "Prestige-CB" telephone can be seen.

The report says that these phones, which have no buttons and are decorated with the Russian coat of arms, are used for "top secret" state communications and cannot be bought by the general public. It adds that Putin has the same phone in all of his offices.

The Russian president is reportedly also the owner of the 450-foot, $700 million Scheherazade , one of the largest yachts in the world. The superyacht was impounded in an Italian port last year due to its connections to the Russian government.

Putin is also thought to be the owner of a smaller, Cayman Islands-flagged yacht called Olympia, a gift from the billionaire Russian oligarch, Roman Abramovich.

Watch: Inside Putin's secret bunker and billion-dollar palace

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Helipads, Wine Cave: All About Vladimir Putin's $1 Billion Superyacht Fleet

Two of these superyachts, linked to the russian president, were recently tracked down in istanbul..

Victoria, one of the 10 superyachts that was spotted in Istanbul.

Two superyachts believed to be linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin and his inner circle have been tracked down in Istanbul. According to Kyiv Post , the newly discovered yachts are the 71-meter Victoria, valued at over $50 million, and its "escort" the 38-meter Orion, worth $15 million. This brings the number of such vessels belonging to the Russian leader's "fleet" so far discovered to 10. 

The ship is officially registered to companies associated with Russian oligarch Gennady Timchenko, who is a close personal friend of Vladimir Putin. According to The Sun , the $50 million yacht features wooden flooring and high round ceilings. It has a huge circular bed with a ceiling mirror. Its furniture fittings and baubles also include towels costing over $2,000, chess and backgammon sets valued at over $5,000 and 60-inch TV sets housed in mahogany cases.

Scheherazade

The construction of the yacht began in 2005. In total, Victoria was completed in 14 years and the delays in the ship's construction led Mr Timchenko to commission the construction of an even larger yacht for Mr Putin, the 140-meter-long Scheherazade, which was seized by Italian authorities in the port of Marina di Carrara in May 2022.

Scheherazade, worth an estimated $700 million, is believed to be Mr Putin's most expensive superyacht. The 140-metre yacht features two helipads, a swimming pool and a movie theatre, according to the SuperYachtFan website, which researches yachts and their owners. The excessive superyacht is almost entirely covered in gold - even toilet roll holders.

Victoria was built at the shipyards of Russia's Sevmash military plant together with the Graceful yacht. According to The Sun , the 267-foot vessel, also called Killer Whale, costs $119 million. It features an indoor swimming pool that turns into a theatre and a dance floor, a helipad and suites for up to 12 guests. As per Forbes , the ship also features pool towel storage cabinets that double as vodka bars and an owner's suite with a wine cave that can store up to 400 bottles. 

Olympia 

This superyacht is said to be Vladimir Putin's favourite. The 187-foot vessel reportedly has an estimated cost of $22 million. According to The Sun, it is rumoured to have been a gift from Roman Abramovich. The vessel's interior is styled by design house Mark Hampton.

The Chayka is also known as The Seagull. The $18 million, 177-foot vessel boasts a jacuzzi, gym, beach club, barbecue area and pool. It also comes with a jet ski, diving and fishing gear.

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Kavkaz 

The Kavkaz was built by Almaz Marine Yard in Russia. It can accommodate up to 10 guests in 5 suites.

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Documents show Putin’s order to move superyacht before Ukraine invasion

Russian president ordered urgent removal of Graceful from Hamburg shipyard, investigation claims

Vladimir Putin moved his $100m (£75m) superyacht from a German shipyard to Russia just weeks before he ordered the invasion of Ukraine, according to secret documents released in a new investigation.

A Russian anti-corruption organisation set up by the jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny claims emails show that the Russian president ordered the urgent moving of the 82-metre superyacht, called Graceful, from a shipyard in Hamburg, where it was undergoing a $32m refit, by 1 February 2022.

Photos show the ship being towed out of Hamburg on 7 February en route to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, after the shipyard missed the 1 February deadline.

Just 15 days later – on 22 February – Putin ordered the full-blown invasion of Ukraine. After the invasion, the US, UK and EU imposed sanctions on Russian-owned assets overseas, and dozens of oligarch-owned superyachts were seized across the world.

The US government’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) lists the Graceful as “blocked property in which President Vladimir Putin has an interest”.

The Graceful, also codenamed Kosatka, or Killer Whale, which features a 15-metre indoor swimming pool that can be converted into a dancefloor, is just one of several superyachts linked to Putin.

An email sent to Hamburg’s Blohm+Voss shipyard on 19 January 2022 said: “The owner wants the Graceful to be brought to the Russian Federation on February 1st … Please mobilise an uninterrupted crew – 2 shifts.” It continued: “Please accelerate all works which may interfere with Graceful sailing out on 01 February.”

The emails said the owner wanted to remove the boat to the Russian Federation to complete the works. “The owner is not happy with the retrofit. He is dissatisfied with the delays in the construction process,” the email from SCF Group, Russia’s largest shipping company, said. The work had been expected to take more than a year.

The emails are disclosed in a report by Russian investigative journalist Maria Pevchikh, who leads an anti-corruption foundation set up by Navalny.

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“Half of the country is forced to raise money for underwear and socks for mobilised soldiers, and to make trench candles, while the person who unleashed this war spends 3bn roubles just on repairs and purchases for his yacht,” her report states .

Putin’s largest superyacht, the $700m Scheherazade, has been impounded in the Italian port of Marina di Carrara, where it was undergoing repairs. He is also named by the US as the owner of a smaller superyacht called Olympia, valued at $22m.

• Vladimir Putin
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Italy won't say who's paying for the care of a $700 million superyacht tied to Putin

Dustin Jones

The Scheherazade, a 460-foot superyacht, has been held in Italy since May 2022 in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It is believed to have ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Laura Lezza/Getty Images hide caption

The Scheherazade, a 460-foot superyacht, has been held in Italy since May 2022 in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It is believed to have ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Scheherazade superyacht was impounded by the Italian government in May 2022 in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Instead of falling into disrepair, Italy has allowed its owner to maintain and refit the vessel, but it won't disclose who is footing the bill.

The Financial Times reported on Sunday that the vessel has been held at port in Marina di Carrara, located almost 90 miles northwest of Florence, since it was impounded by authorities in the spring of 2022. For over a year, the Italian government has permitted the owner to continue paying for the ship's staff, its maintenance and refitting of the vessel. But Italy won't identify the owner.

Italy's Finance Ministry said in a May 2022 news release that the superyacht had "significant economic and business links" with "prominent elements of the Russian government" but didn't name the owner of the ship.

Ukraine invasion — explained

Ravaged by russian troops, bucha rises from the ashes.

According to the website SuperYachtFan , the 460-foot superyacht belongs to Russian billionaire Eduard Khudainatov. However, Bloomberg News reported in 2022 that he is a "straw owner" of the superyacht — as well as another ship — and that the Scheherazade actually belongs to Putin.

The Financial Times reported that the Scheherazade has 22 cabins, two helicopter decks and a spa and that it's being refitted by the Italian Sea Group. NPR reached out to the Italian Sea Group for comment but did not hear back before publication.

The United States created Task Force KleptoCapture in the wake of Putin's war against Ukraine, aiming to hold Russian oligarchs accountable for evading sanctions. In its one year of operation, the task force has brought charges to at least 35 individuals and entities, NPR previously reported.

Part of those efforts included seizing luxury items belonging to billionaires with ties to the Kremlin. This includes items like a 348-foot yacht seized in Fiji in May 2022, which is valued at about $300 million and is now sitting in San Diego.

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Putin Linked To Two More Superyachts: Report

That brings his total to 10 yachts, which is arguably too many yachts for one person to own.

When he’s not busy getting innocent people in Ukraine killed because he started an unnecessary war he’s now unlikely to ever win, Russian President Vladimir Putin likes to relax on a collection of superyachts , a collection that has apparently grown by two.

Dossier Centre investigators found the yachts that it believes are used by Putin and people in his inner circle, Yahoo reports . The first is the Victoria, a 233-foot-long superyacht that was built at Russia’s Sevmash military facility and is currently being repaired at a Turkish shipyard. The second is the 125-foot Orion that reportedly serves as an escort vehicle.

The Victoria took 14 years to build and cost more than $50 million, Yahoo reports. It has the capacity to hold up to 28 people, but that usually includes a crew of between 11 and 15. When investigating the yacht with a drone, the Dossier Centre spotted a large V displayed on board. While the Victoria is usually stationed in Sochi, it reportedly travels to Cape Idokopas where Putin has a palace, although it is said to turn off its automatic identification system before it reaches the cape.

Proving that Putin actually owns his yachts can be a difficult task, as it’s believed he uses legal trickery to make it all but impossible to find a direct link between his yachts and himself. By using shell companies owned by other shell companies , Russian oligarchs create all kinds of obstacles for investigators attempting to determine who owns what yacht. It also appears that Putin “borrows” yachts from fellow wealthy Russians.

Social media, however, can be an incredibly useful tool. The Victoria was recently spotted in an Instagram post from Natalia Belugina, a gymnast and choreographer who is known to be friends with Alina Kabaeva who is also a gymnast and said to be Putin’s mistress. A source also claimed that Kabaeva and her family regularly use the yacht.

In a statement, Dossier said, “Vladimir Putin was never photographed on the Victoria, so there is no direct documentary evidence that the yacht belongs to him. However, as with other Russian president’s yachts, there is plenty of indirect evidence: a specially selected crew, the ship’s route, passing close to the presidential palace, the nominal owner, and the unusual construction history.”

While the Victoria is impressively large, it still pales in comparison to the $700 million, 459-foot-long Scheherazade , which was seized by Italian authorities back in 2022.

Vladimir Putin's eighth yacht was found

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• Timchenko Gennady

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UK government tells Russian tycoons they aren’t getting their impounded yachts and private jets back

A billionaire ally of Roman Abramovich and a Russian owner of a brand new superyacht lost their appeals challenging the UK’s sanctions regime, bolstering the government’s pursuit of Russian assets.

Eugene Shvidler, who’s been described as Abramovich’s “right hand man,” lost his attempt to lift the asset freeze, in the first Court of Appeal decision on the strict measures imposed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

He argued he’s faced “serious hardships” after he saw his private jets impounded by the UK, and pushed back at suggestions he was a close confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Separately, Sergei Naumenko, a wealthy Russian property developer who isn’t sanctioned, lost his appeal over the detention of his superyacht in London’s Canary Wharf.

The rulings were handed down Tuesday against the backdrop of wider government discussions over the confiscation of around $300 billion of frozen assets held by the Russian central bank. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has  called  for Western nations to be more aggressive in seizing frozen Russian assets and passing the proceeds on to Ukraine to finance its defense.

“I would accept that these sanctions are both severe and open-ended,” Judge Rabinder Singh said in the ruling. “If sanctions are to be effective, a serious price has to be paid.”

In the UK, the government has so far won every court challenge made by sanctions targets. 

“I suspect there will be a few sighs of relief in Whitehall,” said David Savage, a lawyer at HFW. “The UK has cast a very wide net of sanctions and asset seizures, and the position of the courts has been that the importance of ending the turmoil in Ukraine outweighs any infringement of individual right.”

Shvidler had sought to argue that the-then Transport Secretary Grant Shapps pressured the Foreign Office to place restrictions on him. He’d said that the government rushed the sanctions out against him as Shapps’ officials worried that they would have to release his aircraft from a private airfield without the formal restrictions. 

The billionaire, who now lives in the US, plans to appeal the judges’ finding to the Supreme Court, according to his lawyers.

“The Court of Appeal has clearly given considerable deference to the government in matters of foreign policy. If it stands, it will make it virtually impossible for any person sanctioned by the UK Government to bring a successful legal challenge,” they said.

Meanwhile Shapps also faced criticism from the judge over his comments when the superyacht Phi was detained. He’d incorrectly accused Naumenko of being “connected with Putin,” a statement that “ought not to have been said,” the judge wrote.

“Today’s ruling, once again validates our decision to detain the Phi superyacht,” a spokesperson for the transport department said. “We’ll continue to act where necessary to crack down on those benefiting from Putin’s regime and their illegal war in Ukraine.”

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Media: 2 more yachts allegedly belonging to Putin discovered

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Two yachts allegedly belonging to Russian President Vladimir Putin have been discovered, bringing the total number of known yachts supposedly belong to Putin to nine, the independent Russian anti-corruption project Dossier Center reported on Nov. 20, citing the findings of its investigation.

The two yachts, the 71-meter Victoria and the 38-meter Orion, are worth a combined total of more than $65 million, and are supposedly used by Putin and his entourage.

Although there is no direct evidence linking the yachts to Putin, the Dossier Center wrote that there are a number of connections, and its sources said that the yachts were produced at a military facility where civilian vessels are not constructed.

Putin and other Russian elites often disguise their ownership of yachts, houses, or other luxury items, especially if they are in the West.

A $700 million super-yacht, named the Scheherazade, which is also allegedly linked to Putin was seized by Italian authorities in May 2022.

The Dossier Center also found that there are a number of connections between the Scheherazade and other yachts associated with Putin and the Victoria, including some of the same staff members, and the same port agent.

The Victoria is based in the Russian city of Sochi and periodically goes to Cape Idokopas, where Putin's "palace" is allegedly located.

The palace , which was made famous in a documentary film by Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny, allegedly cost almost $1.4 billion. Putin has denied that the palace belongs to him.

Read also: Investigative Stories from Ukraine: Authorities yet to seize assets of Putin’s ex-right-hand man

We’ve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent .

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Russian Olympic Swimmer Rylov Appears at Large Pro-War Rally in Moscow

Evgeny Rylov appears at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games wearing the attire of the "Russian Olympic Committee." He won 2 golds and 1 silver medal at that meet. Archive photo via Jack Spitser/ Spitser Photography

by Braden Keith 79

March 19th, 2022 Europe , International , News

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Russian President  Vladmir Putin held a large pro-war rally on Friday, where several Russian Olympic medalists, including swimmers, appeared on stage at the Luzhniki Stadium.

The athletes wore the nationalist “Z” symbol and were celebrated ahead of Putin making a speech.

Swimmer  Evgeny Rylov appeared on stage wearing their Olympic medals alongside gymnasts and figure skaters.

List of Russian athletes involved in pro-war rally in Moscow: * Alexander Bolshunov * Arina and Dina Averina * Evgenia Tarasova * Evgeny Rylov * Nikita Katsalapov * Victoria Sinitsina * Viktoriia Listunova * Vladimir Morozov pic.twitter.com/J0jUR6uCzZ — Fuad Alakbarov ⁠⁠ (@DrAlakbarov) March 19, 2022

Rylov, second-from-the-left. The Vladimir Morozov present is the figure skater of the same name, who won a 2022 Olympic silver medal, not the swimmer.

Rylov is a staff sergeant in the Moscow Oblast Police in Lobnya.

In his speech, Putin praised the country’s “special operation” in Ukraine and celebrated the 8 year anniversary of Russia annexing the formerly-Ukrainian territory of Crimea. Putin is describing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has killed at least 816 Ukrainian civilians according to the United Nations, as a “special operation,” and has made it illegal for journalists to refer to it as a “war.”

While FINA has blocked Russian athletes from competing internationally under the flag or symbols of their country, they have stopped short of the full ban that most international sporting organizations have put in place. They instead committed to evaluate athletes’ and officials’ participation on a case-by-case basis .

FINA has also declined to move December’s World Short Course Championships out of Kazan, Russia.

FINA has acknowledged Rylov’s presence at the rally, but has not yet indicated if it will trigger the organization’s “case-by-case” clause.

FINA provided SwimSwam with a statement regarding the situation:

FINA is deeply disappointed to note the reports regarding Evgeny Rylov ‘s appearance at the Luzhniki Stadium during Friday’s rally. We are investigating the matter further.

Both the international gymnastics and international skating federations have banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from competition indefinitely.

Luznhiki Stadium, which was the main stadium of the 1980 Olympic Games, appeared to be filled to its 60,000 seat capacity.

Rylov won Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medals in the 100 and 200 backstroke, and he added a silver as part of Russia’s 800 free relay.

While Russian athletes continue to protest that the war in Ukraine has nothing to do with sports, and that athletes should not be subjected to bans, an increasing body of evidence does tie the war to sport. That includes Ukrainian athletes being unable to travel, Ukrainian sporting facilities , including several important aquatic centers , being hit by Russia bombs and missiles, a Ukrainian national team coach being injured in a missile strike , and now Russian athletes appearing at pro-war rallies. Most elite Ukrainian aquatics athletes have now left the country to train elsewhere, primarily in Germany, Hungary, and Italy, though some have taken up arms in the country’s volunteer militias.

The list of Russian athletes who were on stage at the rally:

• Alexander Bolshunov
• Arina and Dina Averina
• Evgenia Tarasova

Evgeny Rylov

• Nikita Katsalapov
• Victoria Sinitsina
• Viktoriia Listunova
• Vladimir Morozov (Figure skater, not swimer).

Ukrainian World Record-breaking swimmer Andrii Govorov posted on his Instagram story on Saturday that he and Rylov had a good friendship, but criticized him for appearing at the rally, saying “it’s heartbreaking to see him with this ‘Z’ sign on his chest.” Govorov says that Rylov blocked him on Instagram.

Video of the event:

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FINA has to impose a blanket ban on Russian athletes. If it’s good enough to impose economic sanctions which really affect ordinary people then it’s good enough to apply bans on elite athletes. If anything, the case for applying sporting sanctions is even stronger because in autocratic countries elite athletes are entirely funded by the state and the state uses the athletes to boost its image.

Russia will not exist in a year. Not just in swimming but in terms of land too

Okay, so now FINA will have to put up or shut up and ban him from Worlds. If they can’t do that, their words are hollow and more countries need to pull out of Worlds. We can make Sette Colli or Mission Viejo a de-facto Worlds and get sponsors to pony up prize money.

Pro-war against Ukraine as a Russian : NORMAL Anti-war against Ukraine as a Russian : JAIL

Oppressive governments have been overthrown for a long time by brave people all around the world. There just don’t seem to be enough brave people in present day Russia (or China).

My guess is he a solid nationalist and supports the government and leadership. I’m not criticizing it either, just stating a fact.

At the same time, if he opposes this or is questioning the government and if he trains out of Russia, has parents and siblings in Russia, his best bet is to continue to support the government.

Opposing Putin while you are an agent of the government, which as a high-profile athlete he is, will not just result in being banned from representing the country and loss of financial and training subsidy, but jail and seizure of assets.

except that what you are saying is not true. Not to mention he wouldn’t be supporting gay marriage but NOT killing innocent civilians

The presence of the Averina sisters surprised me the least. They are cold and ruthless. Thank goodness the judges stood up for their initial numbers in Tokyo.

Dina Averina is the least forgivable among all of them. Some might be forced, but she’s clearly not, as she spoke in favor of war to Russian media. (And she still thinks she should have won gold in Tokyo!) The sisters also took a lot of pictures happily before and after the rally which can be found on instagram.

Relieved to see Margarita Mamun unfollowed them yesterday. She’s a champion in and out of competition.

If you have a little google about her coach, and who that coach is married to, and who that coach set up with a certain president, it makes complete sense why she’s so pro-war (not justifying it obviously)

Glad it was Vladimir Morozov the figure skater not the swimmer. Of all the Russian swimmers he is the one that needs to distance himself and if possible end association with the Russia.

I don’t know if he became an American citizen.

I saw his name and was heartbroken. Glad I finished the whole article!

About Braden Keith

Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. Aside from his life on the InterWet, …

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Trump Confuses Biden With Obama, Again—Here Are 8 Other Recent Times

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Former President Donald Trump appeared to confuse former President Barack Obama with President Joe Biden during a rally Saturday night, the latest in a series of gaffes from Trump as the age and mental well-being of both top presidential candidates remains a concern for voters.

During a campaign rally Saturday night, Trump appeared to mix-up Obama with Biden, again.

The gaffe came when Trump was discussing Vladimir Putin and said the Russian president “has so little respect for Obama that he’s starting to throw around the nuclear word.”

Video of the event shows the crowd going silent after Trump’s reference to Obama, before Trump then names Biden, and calls him “a fool.”

In at least seven other instances, Trump has seemed to confuse Obama with Biden.

Last week, when referencing Putin at the Conservative Political Action Conference Trump made another Putin-related gaffe, saying he agreed with the Russian President that he’d rather see Biden as president.

Over the course of just several months last fall, Trump seemed to confuse Biden with Obama seven different times . In a November speech, recounting a speech by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, during an Oct. 1 rally in Iowa, twice on Oct. 11 during a Fox News Radio interview, and then three more times on Sept. 15, during a speech to faith leaders in Washington. Trump’s near-obsession with Obama tracks back many years, long before he ran for president, when he was spreading false information about Obama’s birth country.

Key Background

Saturday’s mistake is not the first from the 77-year-old former president. Last week, he appeared to refer to his wife Melania Trump as “Mercedes” during his CPAC remarks. The week before that he told Michigan voters to vote on the “very important date” of November 27, though the state’s primary election was on February 27. Trump has tried to defend himself by saying he “sarcastically” interchanges Obama and Biden “as an indication that others may actually be having a very big influence in running our Country.” Biden, 81, has had a run of bad public-speaking mishaps amid increased scrutiny. The Justice Department’s report, released last month by Special Counsel Robert Hur, found Biden “willfully” retained classified materials while a private citizen, but chose not to bring criminal charges, saying as Biden can appear as an “elderly man with a poor memory.” Then, in defending himself the day of the report, Biden made yet another mistake, erroneously calling Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi the “president of Mexico.”

42%. That's the percentage of people who say they at least somewhat agree Trump is too old to be an effective president, according to a new New York Times/Siena College poll out Sunday. Some 73% said the same about Biden.

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Desperate Vladimir Putin plunges 22 million Russians into darkness in bitter -22C winter

Vladimir Putin has reportedly ordered rolling energy blackouts across Moscow as temperatures reach - 22C.

The blackouts are said to cover the entire metropolitan area of Russia's which has a total population of around 22 million.

The order issued states that electricity is "not to exceed 12 hours per day" with the blackouts in place from January 14 through March 31 2024, according to Ukraine commentator Igor Sushko.

Sushko posted on X: "The entire Moscow metropolitan area, population 22 million, will have rolling blackouts of electricity "not to exceed 12 hours per day" from January 14 through March 31, 2024. - announced by the fascist state."

READ MORE: WW3 fears explode as Putin ally warns Poland is 'next' target on Putin's hitlist

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It comes after a heating main ruptured at the Klimovsk Specialised Ammunition Plant in Podolsk, about 30 miles south of central Moscow, on January 4.

As a result, tens of thousands of Russians are said to be without heat in their homes in the Moscow region due to subzero temperatures.

According to a map published by a Russian Telegram channel and circulated on various social media platforms, the affected areas include cities such as Khimki, Balashikha, Lobnya, Lyubertsy, Podolsk, Chekhov, Naro-Fominsk, and Podolsk.

Residents in Moscow, specifically Balashikha, Elektrostal, Solnechnogorsk, Dmitrov, Domodedovo, Troitsk, Taldom, Orekhovo-Zuyevo, Krasnogorsk, Pushkino, Ramenskoye, Voskresensk, Losino-Petrovsky, and Selyatino, are also experiencing power outages, according to other Russian media reports.

Power outages have been reported in St. Petersburg, Rostov, Volgograd, Voronezh, and Primorsky.

Meanwhile, a huge fire tore through a large warehouse used by Russia's largest online retailer south of St Petersburg on Saturday morning.

The blaze covered an area of 70,000 square meters, with 50,000 square meters of the Wildberries warehouse collapsing, according to Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry. No casualties were reported.

Videos posted to social media appeared to show employees running down fire escapes and fleeing the scene. A video shot from a passenger jet flying nearby showed flames totally engulfing the warehouse, sending huge plumes of smoke into the sky.