Vladimir Putin once made Italy's prime minister throw up by shooting a deer, carving out its heart, and offering it to the man raw: report

• Silvio Berlusconi went on a hunting trip with Vladimir Putin in 2013, per Italian media.
• During the trip, Putin shot and carved out a deer's heart, which he offered to the late Berlusconi.
• The sight of the raw meat was just too much for Berlusconi, who went behind a tree to vomit.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin once presented the late Italian premier, Silvio Berlusconi with a deer's heart that he carved out himself, a former Italian senator said on Sunday.

Fabrizio Cicchitto, who was once a member of Berlusconi's Forza Italia party, told the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera that Berlusconi recounted the experience to him after visiting Russia in 2013.

Berlusconi, Cicchitto said, was accompanying Putin on a hunting trip in the Russian countryside when Putin spotted a pair of deer. After shooting the deers, Putin told Berlusconi he would prepare an extraordinary meal with it, per Cicchitto's recount.

According to Cicchitto, Putin proceeded to cut open one of the deer's body with a hunting knife. Putin then pulled out the deer's heart himself and offered it to Berlusconi.

The sight of the raw organ, however, was just too much for Berlusconi, who according to Cicchitto, retreated to behind a tree to vomit.

Berlusconi might have balked at Putin's culinary offering, but the former Italian prime minister shared a close relationship with Putin.

Months after Russia invaded Ukraine, Berlusconi defended Putin and said the latter was just trying to "replace Zelenskyy's government with a government of decent people."

And when Berlusconi passed away in June 2023, Putin was quick to offer his condolences.

"For me, Silvio was a dear person, a true friend," Putin said of the Berlusconi. "His death is an irreparable loss and great sorrow."

While Cicchitto's recount may seem bizarre, it does seem to be in line with Putin's penchant for cultivating a macho strongman image. Stories of Putin's machismo also likely come in handy at a time where the Russian leader needs to show strength — in the middle of a years-long war that has drained Russian resources, in which the US has now committed an additional $61 billion to help Ukraine keep the fight going.

The Russian leader has been involved in multiple over-the-top photo ops over the years, where he's been seen flexing his judo moves and riding a horse while shirtless.

In fact, eating a deer's heart is probably not that strange once you consider what else Putin has done with animals, per prior accounts.

In April 2022, Russian investigative news outlet Proekt reported that Putin took baths using blood extracted from severed deer antlers as a form of alternative medicine.

Representatives for the Russian foreign ministry didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from BI sent outside regular business hours.