Former German Chancellor Schröder visited Putin at home on his 74th birthday.
The Kremlin said Putin spotted Schröder was in Moscow — there for a board seat at Russian supermarket chain Hyperglobus — and invited his “old friend” over on 7 October.
The same day, Russia launched a mass strike on Ukraine killing at least 32 people.
Zelensky called it the birthday “present” Putin gave himself.