Vladimir Putin once cut out a deer’s heart and gave it to his pal, Silvio Berlusconi, according to one of the late Italian prime minister’s top political allies. In an interview with Corriere della Sera, translated by Politico EU, Fabrizio Cicchitto recounted how during a 2013 hunting trip Putin killed two deer in front of a skittish Berlusconi before drawing a knife, carving up one of the mammals and removing its heart. According to the former senator, Putin then presented the heart to Berlusconi on a wooden tray, allegedly causing the Italian leader to hide behind a tree to vomit. “Vladimir showed me a violent nature that I didn’t imagine in such a kind and rational man,” Cicchitto claimed Berlusconi told him upon his return from the trip.
