Russian President Putin arrives at hotel with flowers, drives former school teacher to Kremlin dinner: WATCH

Russian authorities dismissed the claims as baseless, and many online viewed the newly released video as a direct response to suggestions that Putin has become isolated from ordinary life and increasingly disconnected from people around him.

In the clip, Putin is seen driving a Russian-made SUV through central Moscow with just one security officer beside him. He later walks into a hotel lobby carrying a large bouquet to meet Gurevich, one of his former teachers from his school days in what was then Leningrad. Wearing jeans and a light jacket, the 73-year-old Russian leader greets her warmly with a hug as she kisses him on the cheek and quietly speaks to him.

The footage also shows Putin casually chatting with a passer-by and his family inside the lobby before helping Gurevich into the vehicle and driving her to the Kremlin for dinner himself, Reuters reported.

Watch the video:

BIG NEWS 🚨 Western media was claiming Russian President Vladimir Putin was “hiding from the public”.

Meanwhile, Putin greeted his old German teacher with flowers and a hug.

He personally drove her to the Kremlin for dinner 💖 pic.twitter.com/0NNu3B189j

— News Algebra (@NewsAlgebraIND) May 12, 2026

According to the Kremlin, Putin had invited Gurevich to attend the annual Red Square parade and stay in Moscow for a few days as part of a cultural programme. The video quickly spread across social media, drawing sharply divided reactions.

One user wrote, “Putin knows when and how to give meltdown to the west at the same time, how to be a real gentleman to the people he admires.”

Another commented, “Power fades, but respect for your teacher stays forever. That gesture speaks louder than headlines. I think Putin learned this from his Indian friend Modi ji.”

A third user said, “The flowers are the message. Soft imagery exists to make hard power feel human.”

Not everyone was convinced, however. One comment read, “The Kremlin propaganda machine is working overtime after the humiliation caused by the parade on Red Square.”