Putin Catches and Kisses Giant Fish

Last winter, when Vladimir Putin appeared to be staying out of the public spotlight following a mysterious injury and a memo was leaked from Kremlin spin-doctors suggesting that he embrace a milder less macho image, I wondered if we might see fewer of the over-the-top, outdoorsman photo-ops that the Russian president has become known for.  ...

By , a former associate editor at Foreign Policy.

Last winter, when Vladimir Putin appeared to be staying out of the public spotlight following a mysterious injury and a memo was leaked from Kremlin spin-doctors suggesting that he embrace a milder less macho image, I wondered if we might see fewer of the over-the-top, outdoorsman photo-ops that the Russian president has become known for. 

Last winter, when Vladimir Putin appeared to be staying out of the public spotlight following a mysterious injury and a memo was leaked from Kremlin spin-doctors suggesting that he embrace a milder less macho image, I wondered if we might see fewer of the over-the-top, outdoorsman photo-ops that the Russian president has become known for. 

Judging by last week’s mini-submarine voyage and the video above, we needn’t have worried. 

Joshua Keating was an associate editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @joshuakeating

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