Photo gallery with Minister Shoigu: Putin roaming the Siberian ice

Sunday 21 March 2021

Photo gallery with Minister Shoigu
Putin wandering in the Siberian ice

It’s a new episode in a very long series: The President of Russia in the Wild. Again and again Putin can be portrayed in nature. The photos are less exciting now, but image preservation appears to be an important part of government work.

Russian President Vladimir Putin recovered from government business hassles during a short trip down the Siberian ice. Together with his Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, the 68-year-old spent the weekend in taiga isolation, as the Kremlin declared. The photos showed how the two politicians were walking through the snow-covered forests and searching for wild animals with binoculars.

Putin also sat behind the wheel of an off-road vehicle and drove it across the winter landscape with a smile. Unlike Putin’s previous travels, this time the two men wore warm clothes and traditional Russian shoes.

The trip also took Putin to Schoigus’ room, where he makes woodworking in his spare time. The president’s physical health was also taken care of: Putin and Shoigu sat at a rustic wooden table and ate al fresco.

In the past, Putin would repeatedly photograph himself on expeditions in the taiga and display his well-trained body. For example, the Kremlin has distributed pictures of Putin hunting or how the president pulls on his bare chest.