Grandpa in his bunker

Vladimir Putin was given the nickname "grandpa in his bunker" thanks to the Internet meme "Grandfather, take your pills or you'll get your ass kicked" that appeared as a slogan at rallies in support of opposition politician Alexei Navalny after his arrest in January 2021.

Navalny's team soon launched an investigation about "Putin's Palace" near Gelendzhik, which reportedly houses a gigantic bunker.

[6] In October 2020, the politician used the nickname "bunker grandpa" by posting a screenshot on his Instagram page with a list of the most viewed videos on his YouTube channel.

[15] The Washington Post editor Robyn Dixon writes that "Navalny, a master of the catchphrase, dubs Putin "grandpa in his bunker", portraying him as hypocritical and corrupt".

[1] As Meduza notes, Putin is called "grandpa" not "because of his physiological age or state of health", as Boris Yeltsin used to be, "and not only out of a desire to offend".