In the wake of an armed insurrection, President Vladimir Putin received a rockstar welcome during a visit to the Dagestan region of Russia, in what some are interpreting as an attempt to boost his popularity.

The Kremlin has declared that the footage they released of Putin greeting adoring supporters in Derbent proves that he has “astounding” support, and assured that the data they have received shows the “prevailing and dominating support of the president”.

This is a rare occurrence, as Putin is rarely seen meeting the Russian populace, especially since the coronavirus pandemic. In the footage, Putin can be seen walking up to a cheering group of mostly women in Derbent, shaking hands and waving goodbye, blowing a kiss to the crowd before getting in a car.

“The data we have show the prevailing and dominating support of the president and the special military operation” said Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman. Putin initially condemned the rebelling Wagner fighters as traitors and promised tough punishment.

However, after the mutiny was halted, Putin allowed the fighters to go back to their homes, join the regular army or go into exile in Belarus. “I did not doubt the reaction in Dagestan and in all of the country” said Putin in response to Sergei Melikov, the head of the Caucasus region.

The short-lived rebellion represented the most serious challenge to Putin since he came to power in Russia on December 31, 1999. It is clear that the Kremlin is attempting to capitalize on this display of public support in order to reaffirm their leader’s power and authority.