Russian president Vladimir Putin got rick rolled by the door handle of a UAZ Patriot, an SUV with the looks only a mother could love and questionable build quality. Rick Astley fans and Internet meme friends!
Yesterday, the Kremlin leader assembled the Russian media in front of his residence in Sochi with the intention to show off the superiority of a military pickup truck based on the UAZ Patriot. Compared to the civilian model, the military version of the UAZ Patriot is equipped with machine guns and other peace-dealing weapons. Lieutenant-general Alexander Shevchenko, however, ruined Putin’s showoffery.
As captured on camera by Russian publication life, the door handle of the UAZ Patriot snapped right off the car when Shevchenko tried to pull it and open the door. Putin couldn’t help but let out a chuckle, then Shevchenko tried to hide the mess-up by throwing the door handle in the cabin through the open window. Then the Russian prez said that enough is enough and moved on to whatever business he had next.
What can we learn from this happening? First of all, the automotive industry of Russia could learn from the Western Hemisphere what’s what. Secondly, the Armed Forces of Russia are equipped with jerry-built military vehicles. Thirdly, Putin can shrug off an embarrassing moment like a pro. The biggest loser, however, is lt. gen. Alexander Shevchenko, who seems like he needs new underwear and a new job.
This isn’t the first time Putin was put in a bad light by the questionable build quality that hampers down the reputation of Russia’s car-making industry. Rewind back to 2011 or play the second video to laugh at how Putin climbs into a Lada Granta, only to find out that the car refuses to start. Putin tried and tried no less than five times, yet the sedan wouldn’t turn over. The trunk wouldn't open without a fight either.
UPDATE: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declared the following to tass.ru:
"Let us not make a media hype out of it or, all the more so, expect any reprimands... Of course, this story has nothing to do with the quality of the vehicle and cannot serve as some ground for making a conclusion about the vehicle’s quality. So, let us treat such curious incidents with humor and good-naturedly... It [the door handle] has already been fixed back, don’t worry.” HAHAHAHAHAHA! Sorry, but I still cannot stop laughing.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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