Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this week enjoyed a nature-filled vacation that included hiking, fishing and diving, according to photos. The images are the latest in a series that seek to portray Russia’s leader as an adventurous and rugged outdoorsman and athlete.
Russian news agency TASS reports that Putin went to Siberia to hike in the forest, go fishing on mountain lakes and dive underwater while chasing a pike during a short stop in the Tuva region over the first two days in August.
Photos of the vacationing Putin show the Russian leader sitting shirtless and accompanied by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who was also pictured shirtless and wearing camouflage pants. In other pictures, Putin is decked out in outdoor gear and is shown wading into water to fish.
According to presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, Putin at one point donned a diving suit, complete with a mask, breathing tube and GoPro camera, and started spearfishing.
“He filmed some unique footage while hunting a pike,” Peskov told Tass. “He chased a pike for two hours before eventually hitting it. It was very brief, but very eventful trip.”
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