Vladimir Putin, Russia's diminutive ex-spy-cum-president-cum-prime-minister-cum-president has gone to great lengths, distances, and depths to cultivate his image as a swashbuckling man of action. Here are some of the Russian leader's most glaringly, er, robust photo ops over the years.
Vladimir Putin's Lessons In Machismo
Updated
![A shirtless Putin famously hunts in the foothills of the Sayan Mountains in the Republic of Tuva in August 2007.](https://gdb.rferl.org/0b0a7236-fff0-4248-8010-e56703a7f77b_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
1
A shirtless Putin famously hunts in the foothills of the Sayan Mountains in the Republic of Tuva in August 2007.
![Putin helps scientists tag a Siberian tiger in August 2008.](https://gdb.rferl.org/98521cd1-b718-4e29-b355-55c868934fc9_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
2
Putin helps scientists tag a Siberian tiger in August 2008.
![Putin swims the butterfly during a vacation outside the town of Kyzyl in southern Siberia in August 2009.](https://gdb.rferl.org/36d78f63-0a8d-410b-b725-91a06841897c_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
3
Putin swims the butterfly during a vacation outside the town of Kyzyl in southern Siberia in August 2009.
![A shirtless Putin rides a horse during a vacation in the Republic of Tuva in August 2009.](https://gdb.rferl.org/23ed2b64-e7bf-4833-b3d2-e6781e48ac49_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
4
A shirtless Putin rides a horse during a vacation in the Republic of Tuva in August 2009.
![Putin inside a submersible during a dive into the depths of Lake Baikal in August 2009.](https://gdb.rferl.org/f4d3d4f1-660d-4f05-a8e1-ba0e35bf8a70_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
5
Putin inside a submersible during a dive into the depths of Lake Baikal in August 2009.
![Putin throws a Japanese judo expert during an exhibition in Tokyo in September 2000.](https://gdb.rferl.org/e0abd772-b1d7-4cba-889f-13bce7191208_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
6
Putin throws a Japanese judo expert during an exhibition in Tokyo in September 2000.
![Putin inspects the cockpit of the new Sukhoi T-50 stealth fighter jet at Gromov Airfield in June 2010.](https://gdb.rferl.org/8d72876d-6522-45ec-9f23-1ae54c863d22_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
8
Putin inspects the cockpit of the new Sukhoi T-50 stealth fighter jet at Gromov Airfield in June 2010.
![Putin hits the slopes at the Krasnaya Polyana ski center outside Sochi, venue of the 2014 Winter Olympics.](https://gdb.rferl.org/a6759905-f38f-4977-b2e0-2b7b299fba67_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
13
Putin hits the slopes at the Krasnaya Polyana ski center outside Sochi, venue of the 2014 Winter Olympics.