Who’s Pulling the Strings on the World Stage? Ask the Puppets.

An Instagram account called "Puppet Regime" posts 90-second scripted satires that reimagine world leaders as felt puppets. One musical video opens with Vladimir Putin shirtless, wearing a silver cross and a Soviet ushanka, crooning, "Launch your special military Opa-op-op-operation!

Not invasion of another sovereign nation!" Xi Jinping and President Trump each join in, and the trio harmonizes, "Everybody gets their own special military operation!" The series is written and produced by Eurasia Group, the geopolitical risk consultancy run by Ian Bremmer.

It began as a comedy segment for "GZERO World With Ian Bremmer" and, after GZERO Media launched an independent Instagram account in February 2025, the twice-weekly sendups grew in a little more than a year to more than 510,000 followers; posts now draw 100,000 to 400,000 views within 24 hours, up from about 10,000 initially.

puppet regime, gzero media, ian bremmer, eurasia group, instagram, vladimir putin, xi jinping, donald trump, political satire, puppets