Russian President Vladimir Putin took a short break and spent the weekend in the Siberian taiga, where he drove an off-road car and walked in the snow with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, the Kremlin reported today, quoted by AFP.
“The president is walking with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in Siberia,” the presidency said succinctly in a communiqué, posting a dozen photos without specifying exactly where they were taken.
Footage provided by the Kremlin and televised shows Putin, 68, and Shoigu, 65, dressed in down jackets, walking through snow-covered forests, crossing a cable-stayed bridge and watching wildlife with binoculars.
Later, the two went to a workshop, where Shoigu showed the president what he made of wood, practicing his hobby.
Most photos show the two – in dark winter clothes adorned with white fluffy leather and wearing boots – eating at a wooden table outdoors. Then they take a ride in an off-road vehicle, and behind the wheel, with a wide smile, is Putin.
–
Photo: BTA / AP
–
The Russian president has been building the image of a stern and strong man for years, regularly demonstrating his good physical shape.
–
Photo: BTA / AP
–
The media has previously shown footage of his visits to the taiga, during which he was spearfishing, sailing a ship or collecting sun naked to the waist.
We have also seen him descend by submarine to the bottom of Lake Baikal, drive a Formula 1 car, fly a fighter jet and release a tiger.
