According to a caption shared by a user on X, Russian television reportedly broadcast footage of Putin personally driving through central Moscow in a Russian-made Aurus sport utility vehicle to pick up his former schoolteacher. He then brought her to a dinner at the presidential residence following Victory Day events. The video has since gone viral, drawing significant attention on social media for its emotional tone and human dimension.
The footage shows Putin spending time in private conversation with Gurevich before the pair attended a dinner where they reportedly reflected on shared memories from his school years. The Russian President also invited his former teacher to attend the recently concluded Victory Day Parade. In another gesture highlighted in the video, Putin personally escorted her and later drove her to the Kremlin.
Reports have described Vera Dmitriyevna Gurevich as having played a significant role during Putin’s early education in Leningrad, now known as St. Petersburg. Accounts suggest she maintained a close and influential relationship with him during his formative school years.
Gurevich, in her memoir titled “Vladimir Putin. Parents. Friends. Teachers,” recalled that Putin was a highly energetic and restless student. She described him as someone who struggled to remain seated in class, often observing classmates’ notebooks and frequently dropping writing instruments while retrieving them from the floor. She also noted his tendency toward physical confrontations, recalling that he would engage in fights with intense determination.
The memoir further states that in September 1964, Gurevich visited the residential building where 11-year-old Putin lived to speak with him directly. She observed that he was often left alone during the day and would return home without parental supervision until evening hours. She also noted that he sometimes managed with minimal food despite meals being prepared at home. During their conversation, she advised him to focus on his studies, to which he reportedly responded that he could complete all his homework within an hour if he chose to.
Over time, their relationship reportedly developed into a close bond. Putin is said to have occasionally helped by babysitting her children when she was working late or when her husband was away, sometimes even staying overnight at her home. According to accounts, his academic performance improved during this period, eventually leading him to pursue higher education in law.
Putin’s early life, as documented in historical accounts, was shaped by the hardships of wartime Leningrad during the Second World War. His family reportedly lived in a crowded and poor-quality communal apartment. His mother, Maria Ivanovna, survived severe starvation during the blockade of the city and at one point collapsed from hunger before regaining consciousness among bodies in the street. The family also suffered further tragedy with the death of Putin’s two older brothers in infancy during the wartime period.
The recent reunion video has reignited public attention on Putin’s early life and educational background, offering a rare glimpse into personal relationships from his formative years. The Kremlin’s sharing of the footage has further amplified its visibility, underscoring themes of respect, memory, and continuity between past and present.
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