There's a Putin-Themed Cafe in Siberia, and Yes, It's Real

Though I think the title says it all, I feel like I should elaborate a little bit. I spend far too much time digging through Buzzfeed articles, and this little article was the latest treasure I found.

It looks like a normal cafe. It's not.

Basically, in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, this guy named Dmitry Zhdanov opened up the Президент Кафе last month, and it has been making waves in the news in the last twenty-four hours. It seems like the Western world just found out about this cafe, and it's almost hilarious.

In the cafe, there are pictures of Putin throughout all stages of his life, and a life-size cutout of him that customers can take pictures with. There's even what is basically a tiny shrine to Putin, with his pictures arranged in the shape of a heart. There's even a touch of anti-Americanism as well: in the bathroom, the floormats are the American flag, and the toilet paper has President Obama's face on it. Yes, that apparently does exist. There are also pictures of David Cameron, Prime Minister of Great Britain, and Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany, provided for people to draw on with markers. According to the owner, he is not against Western politicians, but uses it to enhance the image of his business.

The Putin cut-out

Basically, this cafe is super, to quote the article, "trippy", and is an example of how popular Putin is Russia--at least because this cafe doesn't seem to have been created with any hint of satire. I think. Anyways, the link for the full article is going to be pasted below, and there are lots more fun pictures of the veritable shrine to Putin that this is.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/hayesbrown/the-best-part-of-waking-up-is-putin-in-your-cup#.isdyzBxjP