- Title: MOMENTS: Vladimir Putin's time in office - macho man to sensitive animal lover
- Date: 3rd May 2022
- Summary: Russian President Vladimir Putin braved the cold waters of a mountain lake as part of a three-day fishing and hunting trip in the Siberian wilderness, the Kremlin said. The hunting and fishing expedition took place on Aug. 1-3 in the republic of Tyva in southern Siberia, on the Mongolian border, some 3,700 km (2,300 miles) east of Moscow. REPUBLIC OF TYVA, RUSSIA (AUGUST 1-3, 2017) (RUSSIAN POOL) RUSSIAN PRESIDENT, VLADIMIR PUTIN, DRESSED IN DIVING SUIT IMMERSING INTO WATER UNDERWATER SCENERY PUTIN HUNTING FISH UNDERWATER FISH BREAKING SURFACE OF WATER PUTIN HOLDING FISH UNDER WATER PUTIN GIVING FISH TO MEN ON FLOAT-BOAT PUTIN SPEAKING FROM THE WATER BARE CHESTED PUTIN CASTING HIS FISHING LINE FROM BOAT PUTIN BRINGING IN FISH PUTIN FISHING / LINE TUGGING AND PUTIN REELING IN LINE FISH IN BUCKET PUTIN FISHING FISH BEING TAKEN OUT BY A NET VARIOUS OF PUTIN SHOWING CAUGHT FISH
- Embargoed: 17th May 2022 05:05
- Keywords: Judo Russia Vladimir Putin bare-chested image leader macho man president stunts wildlife conservation
- Location: VARIOUS LOCATIONS
- City: VARIOUS LOCATIONS
- Country: Russia
- Topics: Europe,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA002854001011970RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Russian President Vladimir Putin, 69, has sought to project the image of a healthy, outdoorsman with a strong interest in wildlife conservation during his 22 years as president or prime minister.
He has shot a tiger with a tranquilizer gun, hit a grey whale with a crossbow bolt to collect skin samples, and donned a baggy white jumpsuit to fly a motorized delta plane surrounded by cranes to help introduce them into the wild.
Critics dismiss such activities as public relations exercises and Putin has acknowledged some of the stunts have been carefully staged, but has said they were worthwhile because they drew attention to conservation projects.
Putin has carefully cultivated a macho image which has become a sense of pride for many Russians.
He has been pictured riding a horse bare-chested and wearing sun glasses, as well as carrying a hunting rifle and piloting a jet.
He is also well known for playing ice hockey and is a Judo black-belt, a sport he began to take lessons in when he was a boy, but in 2022 he was removed from all positions in the International Judo Federation (IJF) by the sport's governing body in a rebuke following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
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