Putin Pays People to Attend His Rally

Vladimir Putin is doing what he can to project support within Russia, including holding a rally celebrating his invasion of Ukraine. Spectators at the rally were reportedly paid 500 rubles each, which is about $5, to attend, and video showed people leaving the rally early. As Putin addressed the crowd, Russian state television suddenly cut away to a patriotic song. Officials claimed it was just a technical glitch, but the incident echoed TV producer Marina Ovsyannikova’s on-air anti-war protest.