Newsbreak from Russia’s state media: here’s the twig Putin carried on his last vacation!

Vladimir Putin’s recent (partly shirtless) fishing trip napalmed the Internet over the weekend, winning such intense coverage from Russian state media outlets that news agencies like RIA Novosti even reported such trifling nuances as the kind of twig Putin stuffed into his pocket at one point during the vacation.

Allegedly in response to strong interest from Internet users, a RIA Novosti reporter contacted Nikita Lavrenov, a junior research assistant at Moscow State University, to find out specifically what kind of branch Putin was carrying. “It’s a blueberry or huckleberry [twig],” Lavrenov said. “Both species grow in our region. Blueberries grow in our raised moss areas, and huckleberries grow in the fir groves.”

Just how strong is the public’s interest in the identity of Putin’s mystery stick? Meduza searched Russia’s most popular online networks and forums, and we did manage to find a post on the imageboard Pikabu, where a user named “Kakobyak” noted that the twig in Putin’s pocket was too big not to notice. “Is it a mosquito repellant? A natural fragrance? Some kind of homeopathic treatment against colds? Or is it just a romantic gesture — a piece of nature to remember? Is there some Siberian tradition associated with these twigs? And what kind of plant is it?” In responses, other forum users guessed that it was from a huckleberry, blueberry, or foxberry bush.

In case you were wondering: Nikita Lavrenov says a twig like this wouldn’t have offered any protection against mosquitoes.