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Top 8 Putin moments: From Harley-riding bad boy to Formula One driver
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is known for his displays of athletic prowess and daring feats, as well as the occasional croon before an audience. His visit this week to a Russian youth camp did not disappoint. Here are some of his most notable romps throughout Russia.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (l.) answers questions from the audience during his visit to the summer camp of the pro-Putin youth group Nashi at lake Seliger, some 248 miles north of Moscow, August 1. (Yana Lapikova/RIA Novosti/Reuters)
Putin goes to camp
Mr. Putin stopped by a pro-Kremlin youth camp yesterday, setting a fine example of physical fitness for the children enrolled at the camp. The Moscow Times reports that he scaled an alpinist climbing wall without the aid of a safety harness and Sky News reports that he refereed an arm wrestling contest and attempted to bend a metal frying pan with his bare hands. It appears from the photos that he was unsuccessful with the latter.
He also made a modest weight loss pledge – half a kilogram by the end of summer – and talked about it with campers who complained about their own weight.
The camp was established in 2005 for the pro-Putin youth group Nashi. When President Dmitry Medvedev visited the camp last year, the campers gave him a huge portrait of Putin, the Moscow Times reports.
Putin dodged questions during his visit about whether he would be running for president next year.
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