Putin takes crude remark about hanging Georgian leader a step further

MOSCOW - Reveling in his reputation for earthy language, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin unabashedly confirmed a crude outburst against Georgia's president and even took the tirade a step further Thursday.

The French magazine Le Nouvel Observateur reported last month that Putin told French President Nicolas Sarkozy that he would hang Georgian leader Mikhail Saakashvili by the testicles. The remark came during the August war between Russia and Georgia.

In a televised question-and-answer session with Russian citizens, a caller asked Putin whether he would like to see Saakashvili "hanged by one of his body parts."

"Why by just one part?" Putin responded with a grin.

[It's in our interest to never forget that this man is a thug.]

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