I think it's time to start a thread called 'Random Russian Shit' because why not, and first things first, this is a meme:
The meme reads: 'Don't touch anything in the refrigerator; it's for New Year's.' Let's break down step by step why it's hilarious, and unfortunately, we'll have to talk politics to understand it.
1. The phrase itself is a meme on its own. New Year's Eve in Russia is the biggest holiday of the year, basically our Christmas. And preparations start long before the final days of the year. So, if in the middle of December (or earlier), you look in the fridge and see chocolates, tangerines, sparkling wine, caviar, canned peas, or something like that – you're not allowed to eat that. Your mom will surely tell you exactly this: 'Don't touch it; it's for New Year's.' (Не трогай, это на Новый Год)
2. The man holding the sign is Nikolai Patrushev, the Secretary of the Security Council and probably the closest person to Putin. He is one of the ideologists of the war in Ukraine, and some believe that if something happens to Putin, Patrushev may become his successor.
3. Patrushev is a conspiracy theorist and a fan of alternative history. He often likes to write articles and present 'reports' on these topics. In one such report, conspiracy theorists noticed that Patrushev consistently spoke about Putin in the past tense for a considerable part of the speech. This led to the theory that Putin has already died, and his body is lying in the refrigerator (until better times), and Patrushev is now running Russia on his behalf.
4. Putin himself succeeded the previous president, Yeltsin. It happened that Yeltsin announced during his New Year's address to the citizens about the end of his career and the appointment of Putin as his successor (which created another meme, a quote "Я устал, Я ухожу" - I'm tired, I'm leaving - that Yeltsin actually never said).
The famous phrase + refrigerator + New Year + successor = 'Don't touch Putin in the refrigerator; we'll take him out for New Year's, so he can announce me as his successor.' Or, in short,
Don't touch anything in the refrigerator, it's for New Year's