DICTATOR Vladimir Putin has showed off his private chapel and his favourite drink in a bizarre tour of his Kremlin apartment.
The Russian tyrant gave the public a glimpse into his home in an interview marking the 25th anniversary of his first inauguration as president.
The bizarre footage shows Putin giving his favourite interviewer, Pavel Zarubin, a tour of the apartment while answering his questions.
When asked about his grandchildren from daughters Maria, 39, and Katerina, 37, Putin says they occasionally visit him unexpectedly in his austere apartment.
He said: “They can, they can.
“But still everyone understands that I have such an around-the-clock schedule, and they try to give advance notice, [and] ask when I’ll have a little window to see them.”
Zarubin follows up and asks if he is a strict grandfather to which the 72-year-old responds: “No, no!”
Putin did not name his grandchildren but it is known his eldest grandson Roman, 12 – born to his daughter Maria – is half-Dutch, by her first husband Jorrit Faassen, the son of a NATO colonel.
The pair then make a stop in the kitchen where Putin is seen getting a bottle of kefir from his German Liebherr fridge, before offering some to Zarubin.
The dictator claimed he copes in the kitchen alone before admitting: “Well, the guys come, they help. But now, what for? We’ll pour the kefir ourselves.”
Kefir is a traditional Russian sour milk associated with gut health, immunity, and longevity – suggesting he is trying to show he’s patriotic and staying fit.
Putin is later asked about unleashing nuclear war against Ukraine or the West – a question often raised by Russian propagandists.
Zarubin asks: “When [Ukraine and the West] provoke us, provoke us, provoke us – they even started hitting us with NATO missiles.
“And many people had this desire…to strike back.
“Why such cold-bloodedness these three years? Because everything would have ended in nuclear war in that case?”
Mad Vlad replies: “You said it right – they wanted to provoke us.
“They wanted to make us make mistakes.
“Well, and there was no need to use the weapons you’re talking about – and, I hope, there won’t be.
“We have enough strength and means to bring what was started in 2022 [the war against Ukraine] to a logical conclusion with a result that suits Russia.”
The Russian leader also gave a glimpse into his gold-gilded chapel where he claims he fell to his knees to pray after the Nord-Ost siege in 2002.
He said: “Here is [my] little home chapel.”
He continued: “Back then, during the Nord-Ost crisis, I, for the first time in my life, knelt.”
Hundreds of hostages died in the Nord-Ost siege, mainly from gas used by Putin’s pawns, and up to 50 militants were also killed.
Putin’s grandson Roman Faassen pictured during a karting race in Tatarstan, Russia, in 2022[/caption]
Putin’s daughter Maria Vorontsova (right) pictured in 2019[/caption]
The interview then took a strange turn as Putin admitted he often has to restrain himself from a craving to punch people.
Zarubin asked: “On the outside, you always seem very cold-blooded and reserved — don’t you ever get the urge to, as they say, punch someone?”
Putin replied: “Always….I live with it. But I fight it.”
Finally, Putin revealed that he is always thinking about who to crown as his successor and hinted at a potential leadership contest.
He said: “I always think about that.
“In the end, people can have whatever attitude they want toward this, but ultimately, yes, in the final analysis, the choice belongs to the people – the Russian people, the citizens, the voters.”
He suggested that the outcome could be skewed with “election technologies” and “administrative resources”.
But he said: “The chances of truly achieving something are slim for a person who doesn’t have the trust of the people behind them.
“That’s a fundamental issue.
“So when I think about this – and I think about it all the time – of course I think that a person should emerge, or better yet several people, so the people have a choice.
“Someone who could earn that trust from the citizens of the country.”
Zarubin probed: “But you’re constantly observing and assessing the potential of each person, right?”
To which Putin simply replied: “Yes. That’s right.”
The bizarre interview – “Russia, Kremlin, Putin, 25 years” – was intended to reveal new personal details about the notoriously secretive Putin.
The dictator claimed the apartment has been his main base during the war against Ukraine, but it looked far from homely.
Ironically, a large portrait of Russian Emperor Alexander III is sat on a desk when the two open the doors on the left side.
Dubbed “The Peacemaker” the Russian Tsar fought no major wars during his reign – a far cry from Putin’s rule.
But the emperor was also known for tight censorship, empowering the Russian secret police, cracking down on political dissenters, revolutionaries, and nationalist movements, including Ukrainians – all of which may appeal to Putin.
Putin became president on the last day of 1999 and served from 1999 to 2008, before serving as prime minister until 2012.
The former KGB lieutenant colonel then became president for a second time in 2012
Putin marked 25 years since his first inauguration as president in the interview[/caption]
The interview was conducted by his pal Zarubin[/caption]