'Adolf Putin': Images of Russian president looking like Adolf Hitler pop up as protests against invasion of Ukraine quickly spread



As protests and pushback against Russia's invasion of Ukraine are picking up steam in a growing number of nations, the Daily Mail reported that images of Russian President Vladimir Putin looking like Adolf Hitler are popping up all over the place — and that even "Adolf Putin" graffiti has been scrawled on Russian buildings.

'Adolf Putin' graffiti is scrawled on a wall in Russian president's hometownhttps://trib.al/eekBPWR
— Daily Mail Online (@Daily Mail Online) 1645806605

Here are a few other "Adolf Putin" examples from around the globe:

A man holding a banner reading "Stop Russian Aggressor, Adolf Putin, Hands Off Ukraine" takes part in a second rally to support Ukraine following attacks received from Russia, at the Plaza de la Cruz Roja in Murcia, Spain, Feb. 25, 2022. Photo By Edu Botella/Europa Press via Getty Images

A man holds a portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin looking like Adolf Hitler during a rally for Ukraine in front of Ukraine's embassy to Romania in Bucharest, Feb. 24, 2022.Photo by DANIEL MIHAILESCU/AFP via Getty Images

Demonstrators gather with the Ukrainian flag and various placards, one of them reading "Stop Russian Aggressor Adolf Putin, Hands Off Ukraine" to protest against Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in front of the Russian embassy in Oslo, Norway, Feb. 24, 2022.Photo by HEIKO JUNGE/NTB/AFP via Getty Images

What are the details?

The outlet noted that the the "Adolf Putin" epithet was written on a wall in Putin's hometown of St. Petersburg as demonstrators have demanded the Russian president end the escalating invasion of Ukraine.

Thousands march in anti-war protests across St Petersburg after Ukraine invasionhttps://www.independent.co.uk/tv/news/russia-anti-war-protests-ukraine-ved082317?utm_content=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=Main&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1645816890\u00a0\u2026
— The Independent (@The Independent) 1645820517

Demonstrators also have taken to the streets of Moscow:

Watch: Protests erupt in Moscow and St. Petersburg over Russian invasion of Ukrainepic.twitter.com/hyFWUtqT8C
— TIME (@TIME) 1645797821

Protests against Russia's invasion also broke out in New York City, as demonstrators held signs showing Putin's face adorned with a blood-stained hand:

New York City is home to the largest Ukrainian population in the U.S. Hundreds gathered Thursday to protest Russia's invasion. @AndreaGrymesTV\u00a0reports.https://cbsn.ws/3vbXcpO
— CBS New York (@CBS New York) 1645741744

Similar sentiments were expressed by protesters in Washington, D.C.:

Overnight pro-Ukraine protest held at the Embassy of Russia in Washington, DC. https://abcn.ws/3Ijd25w\u00a0pic.twitter.com/98dkCp8l8k
— ABC News (@ABC News) 1645695240

What else?

A European Union spokesman said Friday that Putin's actions are comparable to the Nazis' in World War II, the Daily Mail noted.

"He is talking about de-Nazifying Ukraine, but he behaves like Nazis," Peter Stano told reporters in Brussels, the outlet said. "So this is all in his head."

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appeared to blast President Joe Biden and others in an early Friday morning video, saying that Ukraine has been "left alone" to defend itself against invading Russian forces while Biden watches "from a distance."

Russian troops moved into Ukraine's capital city Kyiv on Friday, as officials urged residents to stay indoors and "prepare Molotov cocktails" to defend against the advancing enemy force, the New York Times reported.

While Ukraine claimed Putin suffered significant losses, including a missile strike at military base in Russia, other video showed a Ukrainian plane shot down over Kyiv.

In-N-Out Burger in LA apparently remaining defiant as restaurants aren't checking customers' proof of vaccination — a violation of citywide mandate



In-N-Out Burger restaurants in Los Angeles apparently are remaining defiant and not checking proof of COVID-19 vaccinations for customers who dine inside the iconic burger joints — a violation of the city's mandate, which KCBS-TV reported is the strictest in America.

What are the details?

A reporter from the station, Tom Wait, visited five In-N-Outs across the city Tuesday night and found it was "business as usual," with restaurant workers not once asking for vaccination proof from Wait, KCBS said.

At least one customer told the station he agrees with In-N-Out: "You have the right to eat here or not. It's their business, not ours ..."

KCBS said In-N-Out didn't immediately respond to its request for comment.

What's the background?

The controversy surrounding In-N-Out and vaccine mandates began in October when the chain ripped San Francisco's proof of COVID-19 vaccination requirements after the city's Department of Public Health closed one In-N-Out for serving customers without proper papers.

"After closing our restaurant, local regulators informed us that our restaurant Associates must actively intervene by demanding proof of vaccination and photo identification from every Customer, then act as enforcement personnel by barring entry for any Customers without the proper documentation," In-N-Out Burger's chief legal and business officer, Arnie Wensinger, said in a statement.

He added that "we refuse to become the vaccination police for any government" and called the requirements "unreasonable, invasive, and unsafe."

Later in the month, officials in nearby Contra Costa County shut down an In-N-Out in Pleasant Hill for the same reason after the location had garnered four citations over several weeks and had to pay fines totaling $1,750.

After the Pleasant Hill location shutdown, In-N-Out's Wensinger issued a similar, defiant statement: "It is unreasonable, invasive and unsafe to force our restaurant associates to segregate customers into those who may be served and those who may not, whether based on the documentation they carry or any other reason. This is clear governmental overreach and is intrusive, improper, and offensive."