Business Insider: 9 over-the-top, macho Putin stunts that were nowhere near as impressive as they seemed
Vladimir Putin is keen to portray himself as a patriotic strongman who will lead Russia to greatness on the world stage. To achieve this, he's taken part in various over-the-top, macho photo ops, many of which are reportedly his idea.
Putin hopes these images, cultivated since he became president in 1999, will "create connections" with his constituents in Russia, said Fiona Hill, who wrote a biography of the Russian president.
However, many of them don't really stand up to scrutiny — scroll down to see what they are.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: I did see him play in a hockey game .... and I was underwhelemed. No bodychecks or pushing .... just everyone skating around (slowly). But for his age he is in good shape, and while some of his media events are over the top .... there are some (when he is fishing and spearfishing) that are not.
