Russia: Leaked manual reveals mandatory birthday greetings for Putin

Leaked internal documents reveal that Russian public sector employees and pro-government youth activists were required to issue mandatory birthday greetings to President Vladimir Putin. According to reports from The Moscow Times and various Telegram channels, a technical manual outlined specific instructions for celebrating the president's 74th birthday.

The instructions mandated various forms of expression, including video greetings, flash mobs, and social media posts. Participants were directed to create “personal, sincere messages in the first person” rather than official statements, explaining how Putin’s example influenced their work.

Specific regional directives were noted: in Bashkiria, employees were ordered to post on the VKontakte network between 8:00 and 14:00, while in the Vladimir region, officials were told to use personal accounts because posts on public government pages would not be accepted. Reporting indicates that the coordinated effort resulted in a surge of similar content across Russian social media, including the frequent use of specific phrases such as “good health and inexhaustible energy.”