HANNOVER (Germany), April 8 (Itar-Tass) – Russian President Vladimir Putin liked an action, which Ukrainian topless women staged at the Hannover Industrial Fair, though he did not have enough time to look at the female activists and hear their appeals.
“I liked the action,” the Russian president said with a smile at a press conference at the end of the visit to Germany. He proposed to the fair organizers “to thank the Ukrainian young women, who help promote the fair, because there was no so much talking about the fair without such actions.” Putin added that he was informed about the escapade beforehand.
“I did not hear quite well what they were crying, because the security guards are working very toughly, as such tough guys grabbed the young women, it seems to me that they could have treated them more gently,” Putin said. “I even did not have enough time to see whether they were fair, chestnut or black-haired women,” the president added.
Putin noted that Russia already got accustomed to similar escapades. However, “it is better not to violate the order, if to debate on political issues, it is better to do it clothed than naked,” Putin noted. “It is better to get naked in other places,” Putin recommended, noting that, for instance, he refers to the nudist beaches. “But it is not cold here,” Putin said.
The activists of the Ukrainian unregistered public and political movement FEMEN staged their action at the Hannover Industrial Fair, when German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the fair. At the moment, when Putin and Merkel visited the stand of the Volkswagen motor giant, several young women, who were staying among numerous journalists, broke through the police cordons, got topless and began crying out uncensored slogans in English. The same slogans were written on their bodies. The security guards detained the young women. The young women continued crying out the slogans, but Putin and Merkel passed to the next stand without any haste, not paying attention to the FEMEN activists.
This was already not the first FEMEN action during foreign visits of the Russian president. Last December the activists of this movement staged a protest action timed to President Vladimir Putin’s visit to participate in the Russia-EU summit in Brussels. Then the young women urged the EU leaders to sever political, economic and cultural ties with Russia. The local police detained four female protesters.