Putin’s ‘second wife’ joke about Malaysia’s Anwar draws laughs and anger amid MH17 ruling

While some social media users were amused by the leaders’ moment of levity, others felt it was inappropriate in light of the MH17 tragedy

A joke by Russian President Vladimir Putin about Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and a “second wife” has drawn mixed reactions back home – amusing social media users but angering others still mourning Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, after Russia was formally blamed for its 2014 downing during Anwar’s visit to Moscow.

Anwar is on a four-day official tour to Russia at the invitation of Putin, with both sides touting closer cooperation in sectors including aerospace, artificial intelligence and digital technology.

But it was an off-the-cuff remark – shared by Putin himself – that stole the spotlight.

Speaking at a joint news conference in Moscow on Wednesday, the Russian leader recounted giving Anwar a tour of the opulent St Andrew’s Hall in the Kremlin, home to three ceremonial thrones once used by Russia’s imperial family. He explained that one throne was for the Tsar, and one for his wife – then asked his Malaysian counterpart who the third was for.

“Without even thinking, the prime minister said, ‘for the second wife’,” Putin said, to laughter from the audience. “I hope he is not angry at me for saying these things, but this is an answer of a true Muslim, of a true representative of Islamic culture.”

Anwar, who was laughing while Putin shared the story, responded by saying “I only have one wife, Mr President”, adding that he later realised that the third throne was for the Tsar’s mother.

Malaysians were quick to poke fun at the exchange on social media, with some suggesting Anwar’s visit should be soundtracked by “Russia Sayang” – a play on “Rasa Sayang”, a popular Malay folk song that loosely translates to “loving feeling”.

“From Russia with love,” wrote one user, Azlan Abdullah, adding laughing emojis to his Facebook comment.

Yet not all Malaysians were amused. Critics argued the levity was tone-deaf given Russia’s role in the MH17 disaster, which claimed 298 lives – including 43 Malaysians – when the plane was struck by a Russian-made Buk surface-to-air missile over eastern Ukraine in July 2014 during fighting between pro-Moscow separatists and Ukrainian forces.

“Thought he went to Moscow to demand answers about MH17 – turns out he was cracking second-wife jokes with Putin instead,” one user commented. Another wrote: “Laugh and joke while MH17 families cry,” in a post that shared the viral press conference clip.

On Monday, the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) ruled that Russia bore responsibility for the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.

The ruling found that Russia had violated the Chicago Convention, which prohibits the use of weapons against civil aircraft in-flight, and opened the door for affected states to pursue compensation claims on behalf of the victims’ families through international legal mechanisms.

The Kremlin rejected the finding as “biased”, arguing Moscow had not been part of the investigation.

At a separate news conference with Malaysian media in Moscow, Anwar said Putin had told him that Russia was open to cooperating on the case – but only with investigative bodies it considered impartial.

“What I can confirm is that he said it was not true to say that they were not willing to cooperate. But they are not able to cooperate with anybody that Russia considers as not independent,” he said.

Malaysia, which established diplomatic ties with Russia during the Soviet era in the 1960s, imports Russian grain, refined petroleum and arms, and has more recently looked to Moscow for support in its bid to join the Brics group of emerging economies.