VLADIMIR Putin has been taking a break from purging his generals post Wagner-coup to draw a bizarre - and perhaps - revelatory doodle.
The Russian President was snapped drawing the cartoon smiley face on a whiteboard while visiting a tech exhibition in Moscow.
The strange looking character was created by the tyrant at the Strong Ideas For A New Time Forum and left viewers baffled at what it could represent.
A leading graphologist and doodle expert Tracey Trussell says his drawing exposes a paranoid, depressed and anxious leader as the style of drawing "taps into our subconscious, releasing all those repressed thoughts and emotions, which come spilling out of the back of our minds".
"Doodling allows us to tune out and siphon off stress and tension. It helps us to process difficult emotions. It is also deep thinking in disguise, because it helps us to focus and clear our minds and potentially drum up lightbulb moments – like a brainstorming device," she said.
The "wide-open" eyes
Trussell explained that the large, right looking eyes give an insight into how Putin is already "planning ahead".
"The big wide-open eyes are observant and cautious – they are all about seeing and being seen – but they also symbolise a paranoia of being watched," she added.
And according to the expert, the "simple diagonal lines" for eyebrows also represent power.
The "angular smirk"
Although the cartoon style of a smiling face "gives an appearance of a man who is trying to convey congeniality and a sense of humour – someone who is determined to remain upbeat – someone who wants to come across as a people’s person - someone who is warm, chatty, and empathetic," the drawing's smile reveals a darker meaning according to the expert.
"The smiling mouth has an angular smirk or tick in the corner revealing his tenacity, which is now tinged with anxiety and impatience," she said.
The vertical wavy lines
In the bizarre Spongebob-looking sketch, Putin has incorporated random squiggles to frame the face.
Trussell explained that this represents "how easily Putin’s position can adapt and change, because he’s quick thinking and evasive.
"But at the same time, these lines also indicate signs of strain, tension and anxiety and suggest that Putin is struggling to cope and may potentially be starting to crack up," she added.
The wavy lines add to the messy nature of the drawing which in itself tells us that "Putin is feeling stressed and under pressure".
The shape of the face
The expert revealed that as the head is facing straight ahead, this could signify a great deal in regards to his current mind-set.
"The face is full-frontal and quite large in size revealing confidence and a self-centred, attention-seeking nature.
"This is all about who he is – in terms of rank, dignity and prestige – and he’s utterly egocentric and narcissistic".
The use of red pen
The tyrant drew his bizarre cartoon using red ink which could reveal hidden secrets around his behaviour, the expert claimed.
"The use of a red pen is also significant and tells how Putin is courageous and passionate about his cause, and how he can be daring, impulsive and impatient," said Trussell.
Along with these features, the graphologist highlighted that the hooked nose symbolises persistence, determination and stubbornness, and that "the caricature can also conceal sadness and reveal how the doodler is trying to put a brave face on things".
The clip of the Russian president drawing his character has gone viral on social media, with many users left in hysterics making suggestions as to what the cartoon could be of.
One Twitter user wrote: "A wet sponge? His self-portrait?"
Another said: "The drawing that depicts 'I am an old man, I have lost my mind".
A third commented: "Sponge Bobski?"
"I thought it was SpongeBob until he put the big ears on," wrote another user.
One more added: "He's no Picasso".
This isn't the first time the Russian leader has left people baffled by his artistic skills after he drew publicly in 2013 during a school visit and claimed: "It's a cat. The rear view".
Suspicions have also recently erupted surrounding Vladimir Putin's alleged use of body doubles after a waxwork-like selfie of him emerged.
The Russian President looked eerily rigid as he smiled for a snap with his longtime pal, Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov on Tuesday.
Putin's stiff and plastic appearance has invited a host of speculation - as well as some comparisons to a Madame Tussauds model.
He met with his crony Kadyrov shortly before addressing his troops in wake of the Wagner Group coup.
Chaos exploded on Russia's southern borders late on June 23 when Wagner troops seized control of Rostov-on-Don in a bloodless takeover.
Though Saturday, they stormed up the M4 highway, taking control of military facilities in the Rostov and Voronezh regions as they closed in on the capital.
Anticipating urban warfare, Russia responded by placing cement mixers on roads in Moscow and set up defensive lines across major bridges leading to the capital.
Mercenaries from the private military company were just 120 miles outside Moscow when they downed weapons and returned to "bases" following orders late on Saturday.
Prighozin - who has since fled to Belarus - blamed an alleged Russian airstrike on Wagner troops in Ukraine for his decision to mount a mutiny.
The Wagner chief said: "We started our march because of an injustice. We went to demonstrate our protest and not to overthrow power in the country.
"The aim of the march was to prevent the destruction of Wagner and hold to account officials who through their unprofessional actions have committed a massive number of errors.
"Society demanded it.”
But in his speech on Monday, Putin claimed to be in control as he baselessly accused the West for being behind the mutiny.
Following the coup Putin's "General Armageddon" was reportedly arrested amid claims he was in on the Wagner Group's armed revolt.
General Sergey Surovikin - renowned for his merciless manoeuvres - has known links to Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner mercenary army chief behind Saturday's rebellion.
Intelligence officials are said to be probing whether the former top Russian commander "helped plan Prigozhin's actions last weekend" which left Russia on the brink of civil war.
