Former Shoigu Press Secretary: Putin's Amphora Dive Was Staged, Crane Flight Caused Back Injury
Dmitry Skorobutov, former press secretary of the Russian Geographical Society, has revealed that the organization primarily worked to promote Sergei Shoigu, while Putin's public events were staged. He specifically mentioned the 2011 amphora dive and the 2012 flight with cranes, after which Putin suffered a back injury.
Dmitry Skorobutov, the former press secretary of the Russian Geographical Society (RGS), which is headed by Vladimir Putin and Sergei Shoigu, gave an interview to the Russian project "Mozhem obsudit" in which he detailed the PR campaigns behind Shoigu and Putin. According to Skorobutov, the entire media team of the RGS was focused on promoting Shoigu. He said he was repeatedly asked to ensure Shoigu's name was heard everywhere.
Skorobutov recalled how in 2011, Putin dived underwater and "accidentally" found ancient amphorae. However, Skorobutov claimed the amphorae were taken from a museum and placed in shallow water beforehand for Putin to discover. This was a staged event.
In 2012, Putin flew a delta plane with white cranes (sterkhs). Skorobutov said this was the last such PR project because Putin injured his back during landing. The former press secretary stated that Putin's back injury was so severe that for several years he required novocaine injections and could not walk, lie, or move without pain. He noted that in footage from 2012–2014, Putin could be seen limping occasionally.
Skorobutov emphasized that Putin's actions were exceptions; the majority of the RGS budget and projects were dedicated to building Shoigu's image. Businesses, state-owned companies, and oligarchs were "voluntarily" asked to support the RGS, but refusal was impossible when the names of Shoigu and Putin were invoked.
