were pre-omicron. thanks to all of you for getting up for way too early with us on this thursday morning. "morning joe" starts right now. ♪♪ >> translator: greetings, world. it is me, vladimir putin. you may not recognize me because my nipples are covered. i know the international community is skeptical that russia is withdrawing troops, so i app here today to provide evidence. first, as you can see, our military men are retreating from the border. second, we are also removing our equipment as this official footage clearly shows. so there you have it, world. i hope you are happy. ♪♪ >> well, i mean seriously,