Hitler in shorts! Vladimir Putin trolled over length of his pants during meeting with ally Lukashenko

During a meeting with his closest ally, Alexander Lukashenko, social media users noticed an unusual clothing choice by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Russian president's trousers appeared to be too short for his legs, attracting attention online. Putin and Lukashenko were hosting a two-day visit at the Constantine (Konstantinovsky) Palace in Strelna, near Saint Petersburg. As Lukashenko spoke, Putin, without a tie, seemed relaxed, sitting with his legs widely apart, leading some to accuse him of "man-spreading" had he been in a more confined space.

Critics pointed out that the hems of Putin's pants barely reached his shins, suggesting a possible wardrobe malfunction or an intentional sartorial choice. Ivan Zhdanov, director of the Anti-Corruption Foundation, tweeted a composite image highlighting the shortened pants as seen on state television.

"They decided to cut the rather stupid shot of Putin in short pants on federal channels and show it only from the waist," he wrote in Russian.

Online discussions speculated about the reasons behind Putin's trouser mishap. Some users made sarcastic comments about his tailor, while others humorously linked it to various Russian entities, including Russia's foreign military intelligence agency, GUR, and an arrested military blogger who criticized Putin.

"Damn, who's his tailor?" wrote one user. "They sewed it under a fake state contract, everything is as usual," added another.

"To sew properly, you must not lie about the size, and he doesn't know how to lie," a third user commented, while a fourth noted the five-foot seven Russian president was that "the boy just suddenly grew."

"The tailor was a GUR agent," wrote another user, referring to Russia's foreign military intelligence agency. Meanwhile, a netizen joked about the military blogger and Putin critic who has just been arrested. "It seems the tailor was (Igor) Girkin."

Another user shared an image of Adolf Hitler in shorts.

This is not the first time Putin's choice of pants has come under scrutiny. In a previous incident, images of him wearing overly long trousers were also widely shared on social media. 

The meeting between Lukashenko and Putin took place after a recent rebellion by the Wagner Group of mercenaries. They visited a monastery together and participated in a prayer. During the visit, Putin asserted that Ukraine's counteroffensive against Russia's occupation had failed.

• Russia
• Belarus
• Vladimir Putin
• Alexander Lukashenko