The state television also showed more than ten minutes of videos provided by the Kremlin press office on Sunday, which were recorded during the trip in early September in southern Siberia. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, a close friend of Putin, was also there for the first time.
The video shows the director of a nature reserve explaining to the Kremlin chief that there are currently around 600 bears living in his area. That is “neat,” says Putin appreciatively. The 68-year-old is also impressed by a pack of red deer that he and Schoigu had observed in the taiga: “I have never seen anything like it.” If the deer were to compete in the Olympic Games, Putin jokes, no one would be able to take them on. You can see him later making himself comfortable in a tent for the night.
Putin, who more than a week ago went into self-isolation because of corona cases in his environment, repeatedly staged himself with strong images while traveling. In the past, among other things, he rode a horse shirtless or presented a huge fish that he had allegedly pulled out of the water beforehand.