Russian Google Searches on When Putin Will Die Are Skyrocketing

Online interest in Vladimir Putin dying surged in Russia after the Kremlin unleashed a series of air strikes on Ukraine on Monday, according to data from Google trends. Queries about when the Russian leader would finally bite the dust first grew as he turned 70 on Friday, and then skyrocketed on Monday evening after Putin boasted about his “high precision” strikes that left nearly two dozen civilians dead. The trend was first spotted by the independent investigative news outlet Verstka. The phrase “death of Putin” hit peak popularity late Monday, tied only with the timeless slogan “Putin is a dickhead.” Those search terms were followed closely by “when will Putin die” and “who will kill Putin.”