Russian children and officials compelled to post scripted birthday wishes for President Putin

On his 74th birthday, Vladimir Putin received a wave of orchestrated congratulations from Russian kindergartens and government officials. Teachers in areas such as Anadyr, Ulyanovsk and the Volgograd region directed pupils to create videos and posters praising the president, even kneeling in some cases. Simultaneously, officials were sent precise instructions on how to phrase their social-media greetings, emphasizing personal pages and prohibiting public-page posts.

The #PozdravliaiuPrezidenta campaign produced more than 1,100 VKontakte entries, with Bashkortostan demanding posts by 2 p.m. that included a regional quote from Putin. Governors, State Duma deputies and personalities like singer Nikolai Baskov used nearly identical language, wishing “robust health and boundless energy,” without mentioning Putin’s age.