'Putin is a d***head and a thief' beams out of Russian city skyscraper

14 August 2023 , 10:15

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Russian President Vladimir Putin (Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

A message branding Vladimir Putin a "d***head" and a "thief" has been beamed from a skyscraper in Russia.

The warmongering President's invasion of Ukraine is in its 77th week and ongoing Western sanctions has seen the Russian rouble decline to one of the three worst-performing emerging market currencies. From the beginning of June, when one dollar was worth roughly 80-81 roubles, the Russian currency has been losing ground versus the American dollar. Earlier this week, the rouble fell to a fresh 16-month low of 98 roubles per dollar, its lowest level since late March of last year.

So far this year, the rouble has fallen by nearly 24 percent compared to the dollar. A chyron at the top of the news company SIA-PRESS Center building in Surgut - 1,330 miles away from Moscow - reads: "Putin is huylo and a thief, 100 rubles for a dollar, you're f***ing crazy."

The message has been beamed across a Russian city (@igorsushko/Twitter)

Huylo is most commonly translated to "d***head" and originates from a Ukrainian football chant. But it carries far more vitriol in Ukrainian, Russian, and Belarusian, reports the Express. American-born Russian translator, Michele Berdy, previously explained: "Think of the worst, most obscene possible expression for a very bad person—and that's the word you need."

It grew from a football chant first performed by FC Metalist Kharkiv ultras and Shakhtar Donetsk ultras in March 2014 - following Russia's annexing of Crimea. The phrase has become a protest song and is widely spread in Ukraine amongst supporters of Ukrainian sovereignty.

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A year ago, the exchange rate for the rouble was 60 roubles per dollar. Now, it’s getting close to 100 per dollar. The Russian government has not been able to strengthen it – and it could be set to get worse.

Inflation rates may rise as a result of the rouble’s decline, which could only spark more anger among the Russian population. Elvira Nabiullina, the head of the Russian Central Bank, acknowledges that the rouble’s devaluation affects inflation expectations and will ultimately affect prices, so the country’s key rate could be raised once more.

Ryan Merrifield