Video: 'Total Cringe, Chill Sesh'- Putin Tries Gen Z Slang At Economic Forum

Russian President Vladimir Putin was in Vladivostok on Thursday for the 10th Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), held September 4-5, 2025, where he pitched development in Russia's Far East and closer Asia-Pacific cooperation following his recent trip to China for the SCO summit.

While in the city, Putin toured the newly opened branch of the National Center "Russia," an interactive showcase of the country's culture, history, and achievements. There, he mingled with cadets and sat through a fun demonstration of Russian Gen Z slang.

A video from the event shows a young woman explaining how language shifts between formal and slang. "We teach kids here in this space how to speak," she told Putin, before giving examples - the phrase "It might be an easy game" in neutral speech became "It'll be a chill sesh" in slang. Another sentence, "Guys, this problem is total absurdity," turned into its slang version - "Guys, these troubles are total cringe."

Putin repeated the slang line with a smile, drawing laughs from onlookers.

Did 🇷🇺 Gen-Z Just Give Putin Brain Rot? President Gets 2025 Slang Lesson

The President rolled up to the National Center in Vladivostok and got schooled on the latest Russian Gen Z's lexical drip. He took it like a pro but was giving pure “seen it all before” energy. pic.twitter.com/ijFVx5JCiA

— RT_India (@RT_India_news) September 4, 2025

Apart from this, the EEF focused on economic growth, new infrastructure projects, and energy cooperation in the region.

Putin recently attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Tianjin, China, where he rallied against the West and defended Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He reiterated that the war was provoked by a Western-backed "coup" in Kyiv in 2014 and NATO's expansion.

On September 3rd, he advocated for a more balanced system in the world and cautioned against any nation trying to "dominate" global politics or security, even as he acknowledged the rise of "economic giants" such as India and China.