Fact Check: Did Putin Play the Lebanese National Anthem on the Piano?

A video is circulating on social media showing Russian President Vladimir Putin playing the Lebanese National Anthem on the piano for Lebanon Independence Day. The video was posted on YouTube on November 22nd of this year and has been going around the internet since then.

Claim:

The Russian president played Lebanon National Anthem for the Lebanese people on their 76th Independence Day.

Verdict:

President Putin is indeed passionate about piano playing and music; however, that video is a fake. The video is sped up. The song he’s actually playing is a slow one.

Context:

1- That scene was recorded in May of 2017 in Beijing when President Putin was participating in the “One Belt – One Road” forum. He played the piano at Xi Jinping’s residence ahead of his meeting with the Chinese president. (He certainly wasn’t playing the Lebanese National Anthem in China).

2- The video was recreated based on that recorded scene, with some speeding of the visual to adapt the fingers’ and body’s moves to the rhythm of the Lebanese National Anthem. The piano music sounds in fact computerized.

Via Alexander Nemenov /AFP/Getty Images

Talking about President Putin and National Anthems: During his visit to Saudi Arabia back in October of this year, he and Saudi King Salman stood at the welcoming reception for an ear-piercing performance of the Russian national anthem, as the horns hit one false note after another; according to The Moscow Times.

Putin being Putin, he remained very composed, showing no signs of anger, despite his face expressing “weary annoyance.” We get to wonder if he’s currently as unamused by the circulating fake video of him playing the Lebanese National Anthem.

Via Intellectual Take Out

While it is clear who uploaded that fake video on his youtube channel, the creator who fabricated it is unknown… to date.

This is the real video, uploaded on YouTube on 17 May 2017, showing Putin roughly performing ‘Moscow Windows’ and ‘City over the Wide Neva’ at Jinping’s residence. (Notice the same photographer at the door).