WATCH: Visibly drunk Putin's video claiming 'You started it - not us' goes viral

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's new video went viral on Twitter in which the allegedly intoxicated president is seen talking about the Russia-Ukraine war. A Twitter user named Dmitri posted the video with the caption "Drunk putin explains why strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure will continue".

Putin, while speaking to state awards recipients, is seen as saying, “All the nonsense, the informational stand-off, the informational throw-ins, all the fakes, they must stand aside. They should not prevent us from fulfilling our duty to our people. And you do not need to be particularly well-versed in this informational confrontation to understand what is actually going on."

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“There is a lot of noise now about our strikes against the energy infrastructure of our neighbour country. Yes, we are doing that but who started it? Who struck the Crimean Bridge? Who blew up the power lines of the Kursk Nuclear Power Station? Who is not providing water to Donetsk? Not providing water to a city with a population of one million is an act of genocide. No one said a word about it anywhere at all. Complete silence. Just as we make a move, do something in response, noise and crackle start for the whole universe. This will not prevent us from completing military objectives," he adds, while swaying from side to side.

Disclaimer: WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of photos and videos shared on social media.

The video which garnered more than 2.5 million views on the micro-blogging site, started speculations over whether the president was drunk while speaking.

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Swedish economist Anders Åslund, who worked as an adviser to the governments of Russia and Ukraine in the 1990s, said that this is a very unusual behaviour of Putin, who is known for controlled abstinence.

“This is the first time that I have seen Putin seeming drunk in any context. He talks nonsense as usual, but he seems to realize that he is a loser. Very interesting & promising. All Russians will see that he is drunk & weak," Åslund tweeted.

This is the first time that I have seen Putin seeming drunk in any context. He talks nonsense as usual, but he seems to realize that he is a loser. Very interesting & promising. All Russians will see that he is drunk & weak. https://t.co/h2Q1EevJqR

Meanwhile, Moscow-based journalist Anna Nemtsova tweeted that this is Putin's first alleged intoxication during his tenure as the president.

"We've seen many staged photo&video shoots in 20 Years including half-naked Putin on a horse or diving for some Greek jugs, Putin flying w migratory birds or kissing a boy on the stomach but drunk speeches about Russian missiles striking neighbouring state must be Putin's own act," the journalist tweeted.

We’ve seen many staged photo&video shoots in 20 Years including half-naked Putin on a horse or diving for some Greek jugs,Putin flying w migratory birds or kissing a boy on the stomach but drunk speeches about Russian missiles striking neighbouring state must be Putin’s own act https://t.co/tMIOxmSdd6

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CBC journalist Evan Dyer, meanwhile, tweeted it is "very strange to see Putin drunk in public." "Being sober in a hard-drinking country is central to his public image. It was the main contrast he drew between himself and Yeltsin....But no doubt, he's plastered here," Dyer tweeted.

Very strange to see Putin drunk in public. Being sober in a hard-drinking country is central to his public image. It was the main contrast he drew between himself and Yeltsin. A big part of his appeal, especially to long-suffering Russian woman. But no doubt, he’s plastered here. https://t.co/jGHhEFkSLK

New Lines Magazine Global Editor Amie Ferris-Rotman, reacting over the viral video, tweeted, "Woah. Never seen Putin drunk before, or even heard of him getting drunk (he used to boast he was teetotal). Things must be going very wrong in Ukraine."

Woah. Never seen Putin drunk before, or even heard of him getting drunk (he used to boast he was teetotal).

Things must be going very wrong in Ukraine. https://t.co/yysOktAEGh

Over the years, Putin is known to follow a strict diet and refrain from vices like alcohol and drugs. Russia's state media outlet Tass, in 2019, reported that the president does not approve smoking of cigarettes "because he advocates a healthy lifestyle." He has also criticised the drinking culture of Russia in the past, stating about receiving German beer bottles from Germany's former Chancellor Angela Merkel.

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