Many deem Putin mania to be the biggest cult of personality Russia has seen since the days of Stalin. Take a look at these photos and judge for yourself.
Source: The Daily Rash
The “Let’s Learn Judo with Vladimir Putin” DVD sets. The shirtless strolls through Siberia. The bizarre rendition of “Blueberry Hill.” Say what you will about Vladimir Putin’s politics and tendency to “erase” those who criticize him, the man has built one helluva PR machine over the past several years.
Putin came into power in 1999, and was almost immediately catapulted into widespread adoration. His portrait can be seen in classrooms throughout Russia, and you can find his face plastered just about anywhere–be it from “12 moods of Putin” calendars to coloring books to Putin-shaped chocolates.
Thanks to digital photography and the Internet, Putin-mania can be seen and experienced by more people than ever before:
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1 of 51Siberian temperatures can be pretty forbidding, with average temperatures hovering anywhere from -4.2 to 27 degrees Fahrenheit. Seen in the Siberian Khakasiya region in February 2010, Vladimir Putin warms his bones with a drink just outside the city of Abakan. Ria Novosti/Alexei Druzhinin/Reuters. 2 of 51Vladimir Putin rides a horse in the foothills of Karatash, near Abakan, Siberia. AP 3 of 51Putin struts along southern Siberia’s Khemchik River in August 2007. Prior to this photo, only two photographs featuring a country’s leading political figure had appeared in the media: a 1937 photo of Mussolini, and a 1966 image of Mao swimming in the Yangtze River.Reuters 4 of 51It’s unclear what kind of swimming Putin enjoys the most, however what is certain is that he does an exemplary butterfly. Here, Putin swims just outside the town of Kyzyl in August 2009.CNN 5 of 51Putin seen during a trip in the Western Sayan Mountains in Siberia’s Tuva region, August 2007. AP 6 of 51Sometimes all you need is a little nature to clear your head. Putin recognizes this, and in 2007 took a moment to fish in Siberia’s Yenisei River. At the time, he was touring the region with Prince Albert II of Monaco. Reuters 7 of 51Putin strolls with his gun in Siberia’s Tuva region in August 2007. Reuters 8 of 51Vladimir Putin in August 2010, completely rapt by a scientist’s description of the bones excavated on Samoilovsky Island. Reuters 9 of 51During a 2010 visit to the Ubsunur Hollow Biosphere Preserve, Putin takes a moment to bask in the scenery with his horse. Reuters 10 of 51A master of land and water, Putin shows off his catch at the Ubsunur Hollow Biosphere Preserve in October 2010.Reuters 11 of 51Putin takes a nice stroll through the great outdoors.Reuters 12 of 51Equestrian Putin feeds his loyal steed on a 2009 jaunt in Siberia. CNN 13 of 51Putin seen in August 2009, guiding a horse through the treacherous Siberian mountains. AP 14 of 51Putin pays tribute to his cloven-hoofed devotees in June 2010, seen here feeding young elk in northeast Moscow. 15 of 51Putin gets up close and personal with a baby bird at a 2008 agricultural exhibition in Moscow. Reuters 16 of 51Vladimir Putin meets with water-inclined constituents, seen here shaking hands with a walrus residing at the Primorsky Aquarium in 2013. Reauters 17 of 51Putin takes the time to feed a Beluga whale named Dasha during a 2009 visit to Chkalov island. Reuters 18 of 51Putin holds a tiger’s head while scientists place a satellite tracker-equipped collar on its head in the Ussuri reserve, 2008. Reuters 19 of 51Putin holds a Persian leopard cub in Sochi. During the Sochi Olympics, Russians voted for the animals that they would like to be their Olympic mascots. The leopard was one of the winners–and one that Putin himself endorsed. As you might expect, some brought up the possibility of vote rigging. CNN 20 of 51Putin pays his respect to a female tiger cub in October 2008. Reuters 21 of 51Here, we see Putin studying the delicate composition of a crane. It’s not just for his own knowledge–this composed part of Putin’s 2012 “Flight of Hope” campaign to help save the rare bird species. CNN 22 of 51Influencing those who can’t even vote, Putin prepares to lead the endangered cranes on a migration route. Reuters 23 of 51Putin soars to the sky in his motorized delta plane. Reuters 24 of 51As part of his naturalist pursuits, Putin aims a crossbow at a grey whale in Olga Bay. According to CNN, he hopes to collect a piece of skin for analysis. CNN 25 of 51And a close-up, just so it becomes clearer how much attention Putin pays to his subject. CNN 26 of 51A jocular Putin poses with his parents, Maria and Vladimir, in 1985.Flickr 27 of 51Putin holds a bouquet of flowers in 1985, next to his then-wife Lyudmila and their child, Masha. Getty Images 28 of 51In August 2011, Putin takes a moment to ponder the sites of Karelia, northwestern Russia. Reuters 29 of 51While on board the nuclear missile cruiser Pyotr Veliky (Peter the Great) in August 2005, Putin observes the launch of a missile during naval exercises in Russia’s Arctic North. Reuters 30 of 51Sometimes you just need to hit up the Gulf of Finland in a fancy bathyscaphe. That’s what Putin can be seen doing here in July 2013. CNN 31 of 51Putin prepares for his descent into the Black Sea in August 2011. Reuters 32 of 51Putin can be seen here expertly handling scuba equipment while participating in an August 2011 trip to an underwater archaeological site near the Taman Peninsula. CNN 33 of 51Putin’s journey to the depths of the Black Sea was quite fruitful. Remarkably enough, even though Putin traveled a mere seven feet underwater, he managed to unearth two ancient Greek amphorae from what was Phanagoria, an ancient Greek settlement. AP 34 of 51Sochi isn’t just a winter sport destination. Vladimir Putin plays badminton with Dmitry Medvedev in Sochi, August 2009. Reuters 35 of 51Putin works to keep his aim sharp while visiting a Moscow shooting gallery in 2006. Reuters 36 of 51Sometimes you have to give back to the people. Here, Putin throws someone to the ground at a St. Petersburg athletics school in December 2009. In case you were wondering, Putin is playing judo, in which he has a black belt. CNN 37 of 51Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev enjoy some lighthearted fishing on the river Volga in August 2011. Reuters 38 of 51Here, Vladimir Putin tests his racing chops by driving a Renault racing car at the race track outside St. Petersburg in November 2010. Associated Press 39 of 51Harley Davidson? Putin is into that. Here, Putin rides a Harley to an international biker convention in southern Ukraine in the summer of 2010. CNN 40 of 51Another shot of Putin’s arrival at a biker convention in Ukraine. Reuters 41 of 51Putin rides with Alexander Zaldostanov, leader of the Night Wolves biker group. Reuters 42 of 51In August 2005, Putin takes a moment to pose for the camera before a supersonic flight in a Tupolev Tu-160 strategic bomber jet. Getty Images 43 of 51Russian winters will test the will of even the strongest men and women, but Putin perseveres. Here, he rides a snowmobile with Dmitry Medvedev at the Krasnaya Polyana resort near Sochi. Reuters 44 of 51Vladimir Putin takes part in a friendly hockey match at Sochi’s Bolshoy Ice Dome. AP 45 of 51Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin plays ice hockey in a training session with teenage players at the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow, 2011. AP 46 of 51Nothing keeps your approval ratings high like taking down a young man in a game of ice hockey. Vladimir Putin can be seen here visiting young ice hockey players before the 2011 “Golden Puck” youth tournament finals in Moscow. Reuters 47 of 51Vladimir Putin hits up the ski slopes in Sochi’s Krasnaya Polyana area in February 2007. AP 48 of 51After a long day at Sochi’s ski slopes, Putin enjoys a nice apres-ski with former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi and Dmitri Medvedev in 2012.AP 49 of 51Putin serenades an audience at Moscow’s Theatre of Nations in September 2011. Reuters 50 of 51Putin enjoys the views from Russia’s first high speed train in the Leningrad Region, December 2009. Reuters 51 of 51Like this gallery?Share it:
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50 Photos Of Vladimir Putin’s Glamorous Life View Gallery
But why the hysteria over Putin, specifically? According to Russian professors Julie Cassiday and Emily Johnson,
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1 of 51Siberian temperatures can be pretty forbidding, with average temperatures hovering anywhere from -4.2 to 27 degrees Fahrenheit. Seen in the Siberian Khakasiya region in February 2010, Vladimir Putin warms his bones with a drink just outside the city of Abakan. Ria Novosti/Alexei Druzhinin/Reuters. 2 of 51Vladimir Putin rides a horse in the foothills of Karatash, near Abakan, Siberia. AP 3 of 51Putin struts along southern Siberia’s Khemchik River in August 2007. Prior to this photo, only two photographs featuring a country’s leading political figure had appeared in the media: a 1937 photo of Mussolini, and a 1966 image of Mao swimming in the Yangtze River.Reuters 4 of 51It’s unclear what kind of swimming Putin enjoys the most, however what is certain is that he does an exemplary butterfly. Here, Putin swims just outside the town of Kyzyl in August 2009.CNN 5 of 51Putin seen during a trip in the Western Sayan Mountains in Siberia’s Tuva region, August 2007. AP 6 of 51Sometimes all you need is a little nature to clear your head. Putin recognizes this, and in 2007 took a moment to fish in Siberia’s Yenisei River. At the time, he was touring the region with Prince Albert II of Monaco. Reuters 7 of 51Putin strolls with his gun in Siberia’s Tuva region in August 2007. Reuters 8 of 51Vladimir Putin in August 2010, completely rapt by a scientist’s description of the bones excavated on Samoilovsky Island. Reuters 9 of 51During a 2010 visit to the Ubsunur Hollow Biosphere Preserve, Putin takes a moment to bask in the scenery with his horse. Reuters 10 of 51A master of land and water, Putin shows off his catch at the Ubsunur Hollow Biosphere Preserve in October 2010.Reuters 11 of 51Putin takes a nice stroll through the great outdoors.Reuters 12 of 51Equestrian Putin feeds his loyal steed on a 2009 jaunt in Siberia. CNN 13 of 51Putin seen in August 2009, guiding a horse through the treacherous Siberian mountains. AP 14 of 51Putin pays tribute to his cloven-hoofed devotees in June 2010, seen here feeding young elk in northeast Moscow. 15 of 51Putin gets up close and personal with a baby bird at a 2008 agricultural exhibition in Moscow. Reuters 16 of 51Vladimir Putin meets with water-inclined constituents, seen here shaking hands with a walrus residing at the Primorsky Aquarium in 2013. Reauters 17 of 51Putin takes the time to feed a Beluga whale named Dasha during a 2009 visit to Chkalov island. Reuters 18 of 51Putin holds a tiger’s head while scientists place a satellite tracker-equipped collar on its head in the Ussuri reserve, 2008. Reuters 19 of 51Putin holds a Persian leopard cub in Sochi. During the Sochi Olympics, Russians voted for the animals that they would like to be their Olympic mascots. The leopard was one of the winners–and one that Putin himself endorsed. As you might expect, some brought up the possibility of vote rigging. CNN 20 of 51Putin pays his respect to a female tiger cub in October 2008. Reuters 21 of 51Here, we see Putin studying the delicate composition of a crane. It’s not just for his own knowledge–this composed part of Putin’s 2012 “Flight of Hope” campaign to help save the rare bird species. CNN 22 of 51Influencing those who can’t even vote, Putin prepares to lead the endangered cranes on a migration route. Reuters 23 of 51Putin soars to the sky in his motorized delta plane. Reuters 24 of 51As part of his naturalist pursuits, Putin aims a crossbow at a grey whale in Olga Bay. According to CNN, he hopes to collect a piece of skin for analysis. CNN 25 of 51And a close-up, just so it becomes clearer how much attention Putin pays to his subject. CNN 26 of 51A jocular Putin poses with his parents, Maria and Vladimir, in 1985.Flickr 27 of 51Putin holds a bouquet of flowers in 1985, next to his then-wife Lyudmila and their child, Masha. Getty Images 28 of 51In August 2011, Putin takes a moment to ponder the sites of Karelia, northwestern Russia. Reuters 29 of 51While on board the nuclear missile cruiser Pyotr Veliky (Peter the Great) in August 2005, Putin observes the launch of a missile during naval exercises in Russia’s Arctic North. Reuters 30 of 51Sometimes you just need to hit up the Gulf of Finland in a fancy bathyscaphe. That’s what Putin can be seen doing here in July 2013. CNN 31 of 51Putin prepares for his descent into the Black Sea in August 2011. Reuters 32 of 51Putin can be seen here expertly handling scuba equipment while participating in an August 2011 trip to an underwater archaeological site near the Taman Peninsula. CNN 33 of 51Putin’s journey to the depths of the Black Sea was quite fruitful. Remarkably enough, even though Putin traveled a mere seven feet underwater, he managed to unearth two ancient Greek amphorae from what was Phanagoria, an ancient Greek settlement. AP 34 of 51Sochi isn’t just a winter sport destination. Vladimir Putin plays badminton with Dmitry Medvedev in Sochi, August 2009. Reuters 35 of 51Putin works to keep his aim sharp while visiting a Moscow shooting gallery in 2006. Reuters 36 of 51Sometimes you have to give back to the people. Here, Putin throws someone to the ground at a St. Petersburg athletics school in December 2009. In case you were wondering, Putin is playing judo, in which he has a black belt. CNN 37 of 51Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev enjoy some lighthearted fishing on the river Volga in August 2011. Reuters 38 of 51Here, Vladimir Putin tests his racing chops by driving a Renault racing car at the race track outside St. Petersburg in November 2010. Associated Press 39 of 51Harley Davidson? Putin is into that. Here, Putin rides a Harley to an international biker convention in southern Ukraine in the summer of 2010. CNN 40 of 51Another shot of Putin’s arrival at a biker convention in Ukraine. Reuters 41 of 51Putin rides with Alexander Zaldostanov, leader of the Night Wolves biker group. Reuters 42 of 51In August 2005, Putin takes a moment to pose for the camera before a supersonic flight in a Tupolev Tu-160 strategic bomber jet. Getty Images 43 of 51Russian winters will test the will of even the strongest men and women, but Putin perseveres. Here, he rides a snowmobile with Dmitry Medvedev at the Krasnaya Polyana resort near Sochi. Reuters 44 of 51Vladimir Putin takes part in a friendly hockey match at Sochi’s Bolshoy Ice Dome. AP 45 of 51Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin plays ice hockey in a training session with teenage players at the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow, 2011. AP 46 of 51Nothing keeps your approval ratings high like taking down a young man in a game of ice hockey. Vladimir Putin can be seen here visiting young ice hockey players before the 2011 “Golden Puck” youth tournament finals in Moscow. Reuters 47 of 51Vladimir Putin hits up the ski slopes in Sochi’s Krasnaya Polyana area in February 2007. AP 48 of 51After a long day at Sochi’s ski slopes, Putin enjoys a nice apres-ski with former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi and Dmitri Medvedev in 2012.AP 49 of 51Putin serenades an audience at Moscow’s Theatre of Nations in September 2011. Reuters 50 of 51Putin enjoys the views from Russia’s first high speed train in the Leningrad Region, December 2009. Reuters 51 of 51Like this gallery?Share it:
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And if you liked this post, be sure to check out these popular posts:
16 Things To Know About Vladimir Putin
44 Glamorous Photos Of Dolly Parton, Country Music’s Greatest Diva
Vintage Mongolia: Photos Of Life Before The Soviet Purge
1 of 51Siberian temperatures can be pretty forbidding, with average temperatures hovering anywhere from -4.2 to 27 degrees Fahrenheit. Seen in the Siberian Khakasiya region in February 2010, Vladimir Putin warms his bones with a drink just outside the city of Abakan. Ria Novosti/Alexei Druzhinin/Reuters. 2 of 51Vladimir Putin rides a horse in the foothills of Karatash, near Abakan, Siberia. AP 3 of 51Putin struts along southern Siberia’s Khemchik River in August 2007. Prior to this photo, only two photographs featuring a country’s leading political figure had appeared in the media: a 1937 photo of Mussolini, and a 1966 image of Mao swimming in the Yangtze River.Reuters 4 of 51It’s unclear what kind of swimming Putin enjoys the most, however what is certain is that he does an exemplary butterfly. Here, Putin swims just outside the town of Kyzyl in August 2009.CNN 5 of 51Putin seen during a trip in the Western Sayan Mountains in Siberia’s Tuva region, August 2007. AP 6 of 51Sometimes all you need is a little nature to clear your head. Putin recognizes this, and in 2007 took a moment to fish in Siberia’s Yenisei River. At the time, he was touring the region with Prince Albert II of Monaco. Reuters 7 of 51Putin strolls with his gun in Siberia’s Tuva region in August 2007. Reuters 8 of 51Vladimir Putin in August 2010, completely rapt by a scientist’s description of the bones excavated on Samoilovsky Island. Reuters 9 of 51During a 2010 visit to the Ubsunur Hollow Biosphere Preserve, Putin takes a moment to bask in the scenery with his horse. Reuters 10 of 51A master of land and water, Putin shows off his catch at the Ubsunur Hollow Biosphere Preserve in October 2010.Reuters 11 of 51Putin takes a nice stroll through the great outdoors.Reuters 12 of 51Equestrian Putin feeds his loyal steed on a 2009 jaunt in Siberia. CNN 13 of 51Putin seen in August 2009, guiding a horse through the treacherous Siberian mountains. AP 14 of 51Putin pays tribute to his cloven-hoofed devotees in June 2010, seen here feeding young elk in northeast Moscow. 15 of 51Putin gets up close and personal with a baby bird at a 2008 agricultural exhibition in Moscow. Reuters 16 of 51Vladimir Putin meets with water-inclined constituents, seen here shaking hands with a walrus residing at the Primorsky Aquarium in 2013. Reauters 17 of 51Putin takes the time to feed a Beluga whale named Dasha during a 2009 visit to Chkalov island. Reuters 18 of 51Putin holds a tiger’s head while scientists place a satellite tracker-equipped collar on its head in the Ussuri reserve, 2008. Reuters 19 of 51Putin holds a Persian leopard cub in Sochi. During the Sochi Olympics, Russians voted for the animals that they would like to be their Olympic mascots. The leopard was one of the winners–and one that Putin himself endorsed. As you might expect, some brought up the possibility of vote rigging. CNN 20 of 51Putin pays his respect to a female tiger cub in October 2008. Reuters 21 of 51Here, we see Putin studying the delicate composition of a crane. It’s not just for his own knowledge–this composed part of Putin’s 2012 “Flight of Hope” campaign to help save the rare bird species. CNN 22 of 51Influencing those who can’t even vote, Putin prepares to lead the endangered cranes on a migration route. Reuters 23 of 51Putin soars to the sky in his motorized delta plane. Reuters 24 of 51As part of his naturalist pursuits, Putin aims a crossbow at a grey whale in Olga Bay. According to CNN, he hopes to collect a piece of skin for analysis. CNN 25 of 51And a close-up, just so it becomes clearer how much attention Putin pays to his subject. CNN 26 of 51A jocular Putin poses with his parents, Maria and Vladimir, in 1985.Flickr 27 of 51Putin holds a bouquet of flowers in 1985, next to his then-wife Lyudmila and their child, Masha. Getty Images 28 of 51In August 2011, Putin takes a moment to ponder the sites of Karelia, northwestern Russia. Reuters 29 of 51While on board the nuclear missile cruiser Pyotr Veliky (Peter the Great) in August 2005, Putin observes the launch of a missile during naval exercises in Russia’s Arctic North. Reuters 30 of 51Sometimes you just need to hit up the Gulf of Finland in a fancy bathyscaphe. That’s what Putin can be seen doing here in July 2013. CNN 31 of 51Putin prepares for his descent into the Black Sea in August 2011. Reuters 32 of 51Putin can be seen here expertly handling scuba equipment while participating in an August 2011 trip to an underwater archaeological site near the Taman Peninsula. CNN 33 of 51Putin’s journey to the depths of the Black Sea was quite fruitful. Remarkably enough, even though Putin traveled a mere seven feet underwater, he managed to unearth two ancient Greek amphorae from what was Phanagoria, an ancient Greek settlement. AP 34 of 51Sochi isn’t just a winter sport destination. Vladimir Putin plays badminton with Dmitry Medvedev in Sochi, August 2009. Reuters 35 of 51Putin works to keep his aim sharp while visiting a Moscow shooting gallery in 2006. Reuters 36 of 51Sometimes you have to give back to the people. Here, Putin throws someone to the ground at a St. Petersburg athletics school in December 2009. In case you were wondering, Putin is playing judo, in which he has a black belt. CNN 37 of 51Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev enjoy some lighthearted fishing on the river Volga in August 2011. Reuters 38 of 51Here, Vladimir Putin tests his racing chops by driving a Renault racing car at the race track outside St. Petersburg in November 2010. Associated Press 39 of 51Harley Davidson? Putin is into that. Here, Putin rides a Harley to an international biker convention in southern Ukraine in the summer of 2010. CNN 40 of 51Another shot of Putin’s arrival at a biker convention in Ukraine. Reuters 41 of 51Putin rides with Alexander Zaldostanov, leader of the Night Wolves biker group. Reuters 42 of 51In August 2005, Putin takes a moment to pose for the camera before a supersonic flight in a Tupolev Tu-160 strategic bomber jet. Getty Images 43 of 51Russian winters will test the will of even the strongest men and women, but Putin perseveres. Here, he rides a snowmobile with Dmitry Medvedev at the Krasnaya Polyana resort near Sochi. Reuters 44 of 51Vladimir Putin takes part in a friendly hockey match at Sochi’s Bolshoy Ice Dome. AP 45 of 51Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin plays ice hockey in a training session with teenage players at the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow, 2011. AP 46 of 51Nothing keeps your approval ratings high like taking down a young man in a game of ice hockey. Vladimir Putin can be seen here visiting young ice hockey players before the 2011 “Golden Puck” youth tournament finals in Moscow. Reuters 47 of 51Vladimir Putin hits up the ski slopes in Sochi’s Krasnaya Polyana area in February 2007. AP 48 of 51After a long day at Sochi’s ski slopes, Putin enjoys a nice apres-ski with former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi and Dmitri Medvedev in 2012.AP 49 of 51Putin serenades an audience at Moscow’s Theatre of Nations in September 2011. Reuters 50 of 51Putin enjoys the views from Russia’s first high speed train in the Leningrad Region, December 2009. Reuters 51 of 51Like this gallery?Share it:
Share
Like this gallery?Share it:
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And if you liked this post, be sure to check out these popular posts:
16 Things To Know About Vladimir Putin
44 Glamorous Photos Of Dolly Parton, Country Music’s Greatest Diva
Vintage Mongolia: Photos Of Life Before The Soviet Purge
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1 of 51Siberian temperatures can be pretty forbidding, with average temperatures hovering anywhere from -4.2 to 27 degrees Fahrenheit. Seen in the Siberian Khakasiya region in February 2010, Vladimir Putin warms his bones with a drink just outside the city of Abakan. Ria Novosti/Alexei Druzhinin/Reuters. 2 of 51Vladimir Putin rides a horse in the foothills of Karatash, near Abakan, Siberia. AP 3 of 51Putin struts along southern Siberia’s Khemchik River in August 2007. Prior to this photo, only two photographs featuring a country’s leading political figure had appeared in the media: a 1937 photo of Mussolini, and a 1966 image of Mao swimming in the Yangtze River.Reuters 4 of 51It’s unclear what kind of swimming Putin enjoys the most, however what is certain is that he does an exemplary butterfly. Here, Putin swims just outside the town of Kyzyl in August 2009.CNN 5 of 51Putin seen during a trip in the Western Sayan Mountains in Siberia’s Tuva region, August 2007. AP 6 of 51Sometimes all you need is a little nature to clear your head. Putin recognizes this, and in 2007 took a moment to fish in Siberia’s Yenisei River. At the time, he was touring the region with Prince Albert II of Monaco. Reuters 7 of 51Putin strolls with his gun in Siberia’s Tuva region in August 2007. Reuters 8 of 51Vladimir Putin in August 2010, completely rapt by a scientist’s description of the bones excavated on Samoilovsky Island. Reuters 9 of 51During a 2010 visit to the Ubsunur Hollow Biosphere Preserve, Putin takes a moment to bask in the scenery with his horse. Reuters 10 of 51A master of land and water, Putin shows off his catch at the Ubsunur Hollow Biosphere Preserve in October 2010.Reuters 11 of 51Putin takes a nice stroll through the great outdoors.Reuters 12 of 51Equestrian Putin feeds his loyal steed on a 2009 jaunt in Siberia. CNN 13 of 51Putin seen in August 2009, guiding a horse through the treacherous Siberian mountains. AP 14 of 51Putin pays tribute to his cloven-hoofed devotees in June 2010, seen here feeding young elk in northeast Moscow. 15 of 51Putin gets up close and personal with a baby bird at a 2008 agricultural exhibition in Moscow. Reuters 16 of 51Vladimir Putin meets with water-inclined constituents, seen here shaking hands with a walrus residing at the Primorsky Aquarium in 2013. Reauters 17 of 51Putin takes the time to feed a Beluga whale named Dasha during a 2009 visit to Chkalov island. Reuters 18 of 51Putin holds a tiger’s head while scientists place a satellite tracker-equipped collar on its head in the Ussuri reserve, 2008. Reuters 19 of 51Putin holds a Persian leopard cub in Sochi. During the Sochi Olympics, Russians voted for the animals that they would like to be their Olympic mascots. The leopard was one of the winners–and one that Putin himself endorsed. As you might expect, some brought up the possibility of vote rigging. CNN 20 of 51Putin pays his respect to a female tiger cub in October 2008. Reuters 21 of 51Here, we see Putin studying the delicate composition of a crane. It’s not just for his own knowledge–this composed part of Putin’s 2012 “Flight of Hope” campaign to help save the rare bird species. CNN 22 of 51Influencing those who can’t even vote, Putin prepares to lead the endangered cranes on a migration route. Reuters 23 of 51Putin soars to the sky in his motorized delta plane. Reuters 24 of 51As part of his naturalist pursuits, Putin aims a crossbow at a grey whale in Olga Bay. According to CNN, he hopes to collect a piece of skin for analysis. CNN 25 of 51And a close-up, just so it becomes clearer how much attention Putin pays to his subject. CNN 26 of 51A jocular Putin poses with his parents, Maria and Vladimir, in 1985.Flickr 27 of 51Putin holds a bouquet of flowers in 1985, next to his then-wife Lyudmila and their child, Masha. Getty Images 28 of 51In August 2011, Putin takes a moment to ponder the sites of Karelia, northwestern Russia. Reuters 29 of 51While on board the nuclear missile cruiser Pyotr Veliky (Peter the Great) in August 2005, Putin observes the launch of a missile during naval exercises in Russia’s Arctic North. Reuters 30 of 51Sometimes you just need to hit up the Gulf of Finland in a fancy bathyscaphe. That’s what Putin can be seen doing here in July 2013. CNN 31 of 51Putin prepares for his descent into the Black Sea in August 2011. Reuters 32 of 51Putin can be seen here expertly handling scuba equipment while participating in an August 2011 trip to an underwater archaeological site near the Taman Peninsula. CNN 33 of 51Putin’s journey to the depths of the Black Sea was quite fruitful. Remarkably enough, even though Putin traveled a mere seven feet underwater, he managed to unearth two ancient Greek amphorae from what was Phanagoria, an ancient Greek settlement. AP 34 of 51Sochi isn’t just a winter sport destination. Vladimir Putin plays badminton with Dmitry Medvedev in Sochi, August 2009. Reuters 35 of 51Putin works to keep his aim sharp while visiting a Moscow shooting gallery in 2006. Reuters 36 of 51Sometimes you have to give back to the people. Here, Putin throws someone to the ground at a St. Petersburg athletics school in December 2009. In case you were wondering, Putin is playing judo, in which he has a black belt. CNN 37 of 51Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev enjoy some lighthearted fishing on the river Volga in August 2011. Reuters 38 of 51Here, Vladimir Putin tests his racing chops by driving a Renault racing car at the race track outside St. Petersburg in November 2010. Associated Press 39 of 51Harley Davidson? Putin is into that. Here, Putin rides a Harley to an international biker convention in southern Ukraine in the summer of 2010. CNN 40 of 51Another shot of Putin’s arrival at a biker convention in Ukraine. Reuters 41 of 51Putin rides with Alexander Zaldostanov, leader of the Night Wolves biker group. Reuters 42 of 51In August 2005, Putin takes a moment to pose for the camera before a supersonic flight in a Tupolev Tu-160 strategic bomber jet. Getty Images 43 of 51Russian winters will test the will of even the strongest men and women, but Putin perseveres. Here, he rides a snowmobile with Dmitry Medvedev at the Krasnaya Polyana resort near Sochi. Reuters 44 of 51Vladimir Putin takes part in a friendly hockey match at Sochi’s Bolshoy Ice Dome. AP 45 of 51Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin plays ice hockey in a training session with teenage players at the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow, 2011. AP 46 of 51Nothing keeps your approval ratings high like taking down a young man in a game of ice hockey. Vladimir Putin can be seen here visiting young ice hockey players before the 2011 “Golden Puck” youth tournament finals in Moscow. Reuters 47 of 51Vladimir Putin hits up the ski slopes in Sochi’s Krasnaya Polyana area in February 2007. AP 48 of 51After a long day at Sochi’s ski slopes, Putin enjoys a nice apres-ski with former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi and Dmitri Medvedev in 2012.AP 49 of 51Putin serenades an audience at Moscow’s Theatre of Nations in September 2011. Reuters 50 of 51Putin enjoys the views from Russia’s first high speed train in the Leningrad Region, December 2009. Reuters 51 of 51Like this gallery?Share it:
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1 of 51Siberian temperatures can be pretty forbidding, with average temperatures hovering anywhere from -4.2 to 27 degrees Fahrenheit. Seen in the Siberian Khakasiya region in February 2010, Vladimir Putin warms his bones with a drink just outside the city of Abakan. Ria Novosti/Alexei Druzhinin/Reuters.
2 of 51Vladimir Putin rides a horse in the foothills of Karatash, near Abakan, Siberia. AP
3 of 51Putin struts along southern Siberia’s Khemchik River in August 2007. Prior to this photo, only two photographs featuring a country’s leading political figure had appeared in the media: a 1937 photo of Mussolini, and a 1966 image of Mao swimming in the Yangtze River.Reuters
4 of 51It’s unclear what kind of swimming Putin enjoys the most, however what is certain is that he does an exemplary butterfly. Here, Putin swims just outside the town of Kyzyl in August 2009.CNN
5 of 51Putin seen during a trip in the Western Sayan Mountains in Siberia’s Tuva region, August 2007. AP
6 of 51Sometimes all you need is a little nature to clear your head. Putin recognizes this, and in 2007 took a moment to fish in Siberia’s Yenisei River. At the time, he was touring the region with Prince Albert II of Monaco. Reuters
7 of 51Putin strolls with his gun in Siberia’s Tuva region in August 2007. Reuters
8 of 51Vladimir Putin in August 2010, completely rapt by a scientist’s description of the bones excavated on Samoilovsky Island. Reuters
9 of 51During a 2010 visit to the Ubsunur Hollow Biosphere Preserve, Putin takes a moment to bask in the scenery with his horse. Reuters
10 of 51A master of land and water, Putin shows off his catch at the Ubsunur Hollow Biosphere Preserve in October 2010.Reuters
11 of 51Putin takes a nice stroll through the great outdoors.Reuters
12 of 51Equestrian Putin feeds his loyal steed on a 2009 jaunt in Siberia. CNN
13 of 51Putin seen in August 2009, guiding a horse through the treacherous Siberian mountains. AP
14 of 51Putin pays tribute to his cloven-hoofed devotees in June 2010, seen here feeding young elk in northeast Moscow.
15 of 51Putin gets up close and personal with a baby bird at a 2008 agricultural exhibition in Moscow. Reuters
16 of 51Vladimir Putin meets with water-inclined constituents, seen here shaking hands with a walrus residing at the Primorsky Aquarium in 2013. Reauters
17 of 51Putin takes the time to feed a Beluga whale named Dasha during a 2009 visit to Chkalov island. Reuters
18 of 51Putin holds a tiger’s head while scientists place a satellite tracker-equipped collar on its head in the Ussuri reserve, 2008. Reuters
19 of 51Putin holds a Persian leopard cub in Sochi. During the Sochi Olympics, Russians voted for the animals that they would like to be their Olympic mascots. The leopard was one of the winners–and one that Putin himself endorsed. As you might expect, some brought up the possibility of vote rigging. CNN
20 of 51Putin pays his respect to a female tiger cub in October 2008. Reuters
21 of 51Here, we see Putin studying the delicate composition of a crane. It’s not just for his own knowledge–this composed part of Putin’s 2012 “Flight of Hope” campaign to help save the rare bird species. CNN
22 of 51Influencing those who can’t even vote, Putin prepares to lead the endangered cranes on a migration route. Reuters
23 of 51Putin soars to the sky in his motorized delta plane. Reuters
24 of 51As part of his naturalist pursuits, Putin aims a crossbow at a grey whale in Olga Bay. According to CNN, he hopes to collect a piece of skin for analysis. CNN
25 of 51And a close-up, just so it becomes clearer how much attention Putin pays to his subject. CNN
26 of 51A jocular Putin poses with his parents, Maria and Vladimir, in 1985.Flickr
27 of 51Putin holds a bouquet of flowers in 1985, next to his then-wife Lyudmila and their child, Masha. Getty Images
28 of 51In August 2011, Putin takes a moment to ponder the sites of Karelia, northwestern Russia. Reuters
29 of 51While on board the nuclear missile cruiser Pyotr Veliky (Peter the Great) in August 2005, Putin observes the launch of a missile during naval exercises in Russia’s Arctic North. Reuters
30 of 51Sometimes you just need to hit up the Gulf of Finland in a fancy bathyscaphe. That’s what Putin can be seen doing here in July 2013. CNN
31 of 51Putin prepares for his descent into the Black Sea in August 2011. Reuters
32 of 51Putin can be seen here expertly handling scuba equipment while participating in an August 2011 trip to an underwater archaeological site near the Taman Peninsula. CNN
33 of 51Putin’s journey to the depths of the Black Sea was quite fruitful. Remarkably enough, even though Putin traveled a mere seven feet underwater, he managed to unearth two ancient Greek amphorae from what was Phanagoria, an ancient Greek settlement. AP
34 of 51Sochi isn’t just a winter sport destination. Vladimir Putin plays badminton with Dmitry Medvedev in Sochi, August 2009. Reuters
35 of 51Putin works to keep his aim sharp while visiting a Moscow shooting gallery in 2006. Reuters
36 of 51Sometimes you have to give back to the people. Here, Putin throws someone to the ground at a St. Petersburg athletics school in December 2009. In case you were wondering, Putin is playing judo, in which he has a black belt. CNN
37 of 51Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev enjoy some lighthearted fishing on the river Volga in August 2011. Reuters
38 of 51Here, Vladimir Putin tests his racing chops by driving a Renault racing car at the race track outside St. Petersburg in November 2010. Associated Press
39 of 51Harley Davidson? Putin is into that. Here, Putin rides a Harley to an international biker convention in southern Ukraine in the summer of 2010. CNN
40 of 51Another shot of Putin’s arrival at a biker convention in Ukraine. Reuters
41 of 51Putin rides with Alexander Zaldostanov, leader of the Night Wolves biker group. Reuters
42 of 51In August 2005, Putin takes a moment to pose for the camera before a supersonic flight in a Tupolev Tu-160 strategic bomber jet. Getty Images
43 of 51Russian winters will test the will of even the strongest men and women, but Putin perseveres. Here, he rides a snowmobile with Dmitry Medvedev at the Krasnaya Polyana resort near Sochi. Reuters
44 of 51Vladimir Putin takes part in a friendly hockey match at Sochi’s Bolshoy Ice Dome. AP
45 of 51Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin plays ice hockey in a training session with teenage players at the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow, 2011. AP
46 of 51Nothing keeps your approval ratings high like taking down a young man in a game of ice hockey. Vladimir Putin can be seen here visiting young ice hockey players before the 2011 “Golden Puck” youth tournament finals in Moscow. Reuters
47 of 51Vladimir Putin hits up the ski slopes in Sochi’s Krasnaya Polyana area in February 2007. AP
48 of 51After a long day at Sochi’s ski slopes, Putin enjoys a nice apres-ski with former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi and Dmitri Medvedev in 2012.AP
49 of 51Putin serenades an audience at Moscow’s Theatre of Nations in September 2011. Reuters
50 of 51Putin enjoys the views from Russia’s first high speed train in the Leningrad Region, December 2009. Reuters
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50 Photos Of Vladimir Putin’s Glamorous Life View Gallery
50 Photos Of Vladimir Putin’s Glamorous Life View Gallery
50 Photos Of Vladimir Putin’s Glamorous Life View Gallery
50 Photos Of Vladimir Putin’s Glamorous Life View Gallery
50 Photos Of Vladimir Putin’s Glamorous Life
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Academic explanations aside, maybe it’s just because Putin wears the timeless Russian hat really well and, through gratuitous displays of manliness, taps into memories of a tough, won’t-take-your-shit Russian heritage.
According to the authors, one of Putin’s biggest draws is that he can be whatever a Russian wants him to be. Say Cassiday and Johnson in “Putin & the Post-Soviet Cult of Personality,” “Even after being invested with sobriety, strength and sex appeal, Putin’s image has the curious ability to absorb multiple personae…not only does Putin seem to be a Russian everyman, but everyone also has the potential to become a Putin.”
Check out Vladimir Putin singing below:
And an excellent documentary on his rise to power:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpiZw1R8w-c
All images come from Business Insider, Politico, Time and Reuters.
After this look at photos of Vladimir Putin and his glamorous life, check out this gallery of photos from the Russian Empire before the Revolution. Then, check out these celebrity doppelgangers through history that will totally freak you out.
