Putin ends self-isolation with Siberian fishing trip

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy Nikolai Yevmenov attend the Navy Day parade in Saint Petersburg, Russia July 25, 2021. REUTERS FILE PHOTO

MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin
has spent several days on holiday in Siberia where he was hiking
and fishing, the Kremlin said on Sunday, following a short spell
in self-isolation as a precautionary measure against COVID-19.

Putin said in the middle of September he would have to
spend “a few days” in self-isolation after dozens of people in
his entourage fell ill with COVID-19. He had to cancel his trip
to Tajikistan for a security summit.

Putin has cultivated a macho image, appealing to many
Russians, and has previously been pictured riding a horse
barechested and in sun glasses, as well as carrying a hunting
rifle and piloting a fighter jet.

This time, his outings were more mundane.

The Kremlin published 20 photos of Putin standing in a river
and catching a fish, walking through lush meadows and talking
to Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, his usual holiday companion.

Putin, 68, has had two shots of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine.
The Kremlin has said he was feeling healthy.