When he flexes
Russia's diplomatic and military muscle, President
Vladimir Putin always makes headlines.
But few could
have predicted the squall of gossip and speculation that
would follow after Putin stripped off his shirt for the
cameras while on holiday with Prince Albert II of
Monaco in the Siberian mountains last week.
The resulting
images of the presidential abs, prominently enshrined on
the presidential Web site, inspired admiration, criticism,
and some racing pulses among his admirers.
The Russian media
still can't get enough.
The mass-market
tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda on Wednesday
published a huge color photo of the bare-chested president
under the headline ''Be Like Putin.'' Its excuse? A guide
showing exactly what exercises were required to build
up a torso like that of the Russian leader.
Meanwhile,
Kremlin watchers have been busy trying to guess what kind of
political message the pictures might send, given that Putin
has insisted he plans to step down at the end of his
second presidential term next year, as required by the
constitution.
One radio
talk-show host speculated that the pictures were meant to
enhance Putin's personal appeal to voters--a strong
signal that he doesn't plan to relinquish power. When
the commentator, Yevgeniya Albats, went on to suggest
that his half-naked photo shoot was unbecoming a Russian
leader, female listeners peppered her with e-mails
expressing admiration for Putin's physique.
Komsomolskaya Pravda reported that women who
visited its Web site posted comments on Putin's ''vigorous
torso'' and said they ''were screaming with delight
and showering [him] with compliments.''
Russian gay chat
rooms and blogs were particularly intrigued by the
photos: Some claimed that Putin, by stripping to his waist,
was somehow pleading for more tolerance of
homosexuality in Russia--where gays and lesbians
are for the most part forced to remain closeted.
Some media have
jokingly compared Putin's mountain adventure with Prince
Albert to the movie Brokeback Mountain, a love
story about gay cowboys.
The 54-year-old
Russian leader, who is married with two daughters, has
long cultivated an image of machismo and manliness.
Well-known as a downhill skier and black belt in judo,
Putin has appeared on national television driving a
truck, operating a train, sailing on a submarine, and
copiloting a fighter jet.
All these
exploits have been widely publicized, thanks to the
Kremlin's control of major media.
In contrast to
his predecessor Boris Yeltsin, notorious for drunken
antics, Putin has established an image as serious,
energetic, sober, and sharp-witted. In a country that
worships its Olympic and other world-class athletes,
he has also taken care to stay physically fit.
In interviews he
speaks avidly about judo and athletics.
''Sport has
helped me form my own personal point of view on the world,
on people, and my approach to them,'' he said in an
interview posted on the Kremlin Web site.
Observers say
it's all part of the Putin mystique.
''He's cool.
That's been the image throughout the presidency, cool,''
said Sergei Markov, Kremlin-connected head of the
Moscow-based Institute for Political Research.
But Putin's
outdoor outing last week took this manly public persona to a
new level.
The prince and
the president spent several days on vacation in the
mountainous southern Siberian region of Tuva. Showing Putin
dressed in fatigues, fingerless gloves, a bush hat,
and chic sunglasses, television networks broadcast
scenic footage of Russia's most powerful man riding
horses, rafting down a river, fishing for grayling, and
off-roading in a sport utility vehicle.
Amid all the
outdoor posturing last week, the image-handlers were careful
to make sure Putin was shown staying on top of major
events--a lesson he learned after he was
criticized for failing to interrupt his vacation after
the Kursk submarine sank in August 2000.
Putin's Siberian
holiday coincided with the bombing of a passenger train
near St. Petersburg earlier this month. This time, the TV
networks showed him reportedly issuing orders to top
ministers by cell phone from his vacation retreat.
Stanislav
Belkovsky, head of the National Strategy Institute think
tank, said the pictures from Tuva were nothing more
than an effort to reassure Russians that Putin knows
how to relax--and was preparing for retirement.
Yevgeny Volk, who
heads the Heritage Foundation's Moscow office, said the
political elite increasingly views Putin as a lame duck
leader and that half-naked photos only strengthen the
impression that he should no longer be taken
seriously. (Mike Eckel, AP)