Shortly before the then World Cup in Russia and immediately before his re-election, President Vladimir Putin shocked the world public in 2018 with a cartoon: nuclear missiles could be seen flying across the globe at hypersonic speed and in a zigzag course and then – to the great joy of the those present – struck a landmass that bore a strong resemblance to the US state of Florida. When Putin commented on the show with the words: “No one listened to us, so you hear us now,” the pro-Russian jubilation knew no bounds.
–