Vladimir Putin was today accused of making a ‘gesture reminiscent of a Nazi salute’ as he opened the so-called Future Games in the Russian city of Kazan.

Independent news outlet SOTA said: ‘Putin opened the Future Games tournament in Kazan, raising his hand ‘towards the sun’.

But the dictator ‘reproduced a gesture reminiscent of a Nazi salute’.

He did so as he opened the games and said: ‘Dear friends, thank you very much. Good luck.’

Warmonger Putin, 71, has been accused of a Hitler-like invasion of Ukraine, and similarities to the German wartime leader in repression of his people and establishing a Russian version of the Hitler Youth, indoctrinating young people in patriotism and military discipline.

Vladimir Putin was today accused of making a ‘gesture reminiscent of a Nazi salute’

Putin was opening the Future Games in the Russian city of Kazan

But Putin justifies his war against Ukraine by seeking to crush ‘nationalists’ who he brands ‘Nazis’, despite the fact that Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, is Jewish and is related to several people who died in the Holocaust. 

Russia’s Mission to the UN said as Putin’s forces invaded Ukraine: ‘The purpose of this operation is to protect people who for eight years now have been facing humiliation and genocide perpetrated by the Kyiv regime.

‘To this end, we will seek to demilitarise and denazify Ukraine, as well as bring to trial those who perpetrated numerous bloody crimes against civilians, including against citizens of the Russian Federation.’

Putin stresses it was the Soviet Union that bore the brunt of defeating Nazism in the Second World War.

The bizarre ‘salute’ was at the inaugural Future Games – also called Games of the Future – where Putin was seen alongside recently banned doping skater Kamila Valieva, 17, and former Russian football star Andrei Arshavin who played for Arsenal.

Putin was joined at the ceremony by the presidents of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Republika Srpska

Ukrainian anti-aircraft gunners of the 93rd Separate Mechanized Brigade Kholodny Yar equip weapons from their positions in the direction of Bakhmut

Russia invaded Ukraine nearly two years ago to the day 

Putin was joined at the ceremony by the presidents of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Republika Srpska.

‘Sport should stay out of politics, on the contrary, it should unite people. There is no doubt that this will be for the good,’ he said.

The Kazan games is billed as a ‘major sporting event that innovatively combines traditional and e-sports’.

It includes 21 innovative disciplines such as Phygital Football, Phygital Basketball, Phygital Hockey, and Phygital MOBA.

The event involves 2,000 athletes from over 100 countries and 270 multinational teams.

‘We have always been committed to the promotion of sport and its high humanistic values,’ claimed Putin.

‘The Future Games are our gift to the global sporting family. I am confident that the true spirit of sport will prevail during these Games.’

Today, the UN’s human rights chief Volker Turk accused Russia of inflicting suffering on millions of civilians, saying in a statement: ‘Russia’s full-scale armed attack on Ukraine, which is about to enter its third year with no end in sight, continues to cause serious and widespread human rights violations, destroying lives and livelihoods.’

So far, 14 million people have fled their homes in Ukraine since Russia invaded two years ago.