Russian Prez’s jeep lurches into crowds

Scenes of a jeep being driven by President Dmitry Medvedev nearly ploughing into a crowd went viral in Russia yesterday, sparking political debates among giggling Internet users

Russian Prez's jeep lurches into crowds

Scenes of a jeep being driven by President Dmitry Medvedev nearly ploughing into a crowd went viral in Russia yesterday, sparking political debates among giggling Internet users.

The video of last week's incident which concluded with the 45-year-old walking out of the car sporting dark sunglasses came just two months after another web clip showed him somewhat unsuccessfully trying to dance at a party.

"Who is this guy to hold the reins of a country if he cannot even drive a car," said one typical YouTube message from a user.

"It seems that the president simply forgot to put the car into 'park'," the Kazan-Times newspaper that first reported the incident sniped.

The black vehicle had come to a stop when it suddenly lurched in the direction of hundreds of onlookers as the president tried to get out.

A member of his security team managed to help Medvedev stop the vehicle after opening the driver's door through an open window.

"Careful!" someone could be heard shouting as women screamed and hundreds of people backpedalled in the face of the president's quickly advancing car.

Medvedev could later be seen getting out of the vehicle and stiffly waving to the crowd before being led away by security.

Russia has denied reports about its President Dmitry Medvedev planning to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il in Vladivostok on Friday.