Russia’s Putin Is Once Again Spending His Summer Riding Submarines

The Russian leader is in Crimea promoting tourism.

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The man who fancies himself something of an action movie hero -- and doubles as the president of Russia -- was in Crimea on Tuesday, where he took another of his summer submarine rides. This time, Vladimir Putin boarded the submarine to check out a newly discovered Black Sea wreck from the 9th or 10th century.

The man who fancies himself something of an action movie hero — and doubles as the president of Russia — was in Crimea on Tuesday, where he took another of his summer submarine rides. This time, Vladimir Putin boarded the submarine to check out a newly discovered Black Sea wreck from the 9th or 10th century.

It’s at least the third such underwater journey for Putin, who has previously carried out submarine expeditions in Lake Baikal and the Gulf of Finland. Ostensibly, Putin is in Crimea to promote tourism to the peninsula that he recently annexed.

Video of Putin’s expedition shows him in casual naval uniform and chatting on the radio with Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev:

According to the Associated Press’s translation of the two men’s radio chatter, Putin told his lieutenant that he hoped his submarine journey would show “how deep our historical roots are.”

RIA NOVOSTI POOL via EPA

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