The Monkey Putin meme is a surrealist and satirical image that features a primate—often a chimpanzee or orangutan—with the superimposed facial features or characteristics of the Russian leader. It belongs to the broader trend of 'Monkeyfication' in internet culture, where world leaders are humorously reimagined as animals to poke fun at their actions or to lean into the 'Return to Monke' aesthetic. The image gained traction on social media platforms like Reddit and X (formerly Twitter) as a form of visual shitposting, blending high-stakes geopolitics with low-brow, absurd imagery. Users typically use this template to highlight chaotic decision-making or to create nonsensical content that mocks the seriousness of global power dynamics.