Vladimir Putin

PowerPoint Show by Andrew

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Vladimir Putin has cultivated a distinct public image over the past several years. He has piloted firefighting planes, driven race cars, and even taken a submersible 1,400 meters (4,600 ft) below the surface of Lake Baikal.

Putin carrying a hunting rifle in the Republic of Tuva, 15 August 2007

Putin prepares to go horseback riding - August 2007

Putin holds a five-year-old tiger's head as scientists put a collar with a satellite tracker on the animal in Russia's Far East, on August 31, 2008.

Putin drives an outboard motorboat during his vacation outside the town of Kyzyl in Southern Siberia on August 3, 2009

Putin swims the butterfly during his vacation outside the town of Kyzyl in Southern Siberia on August 3, 2009

Dmitry Medvedev (L) and Vladimir Putin, accompanied by a dog, play badminton at the presidential residence in Sochi on August 14, 2009.

Dmitry Medvedev (L) and Putin sit on snowmobiles as they chat in Krasnaya Polyana near the Black Sea resort of Sochi, on January 3, 2010.

Putin rides a horse in Karatash area near the town of Abakan while on a working trip to Khakassia, Russia 25 February 2010.

Vladimir Putin (R) assisting in examining a 231kg polar bear while visiting the Alexandra Land island, part of the Franz Josef Land Archipalego in the Arctic Ocean in April 2010.

Dmitry Medvedev (R) and Vladimir Putin (L) skiing at the Krasnaya Polyana mountain ski resort near Black sea resort of Sochi, Russia 26 March 2010

Vladimir Putin is seen in a BE-200 firefighting aircraft flying over the Ryazan region, Russia 10 August 2010.

Vladimir Putin playing with his two dogs.

Putin aims a crossbow as he sails aboard a rubber motorboat during a scientific expedition to study grey whales in the Kronotsky Nature preserve in Kamchatka, Russia 25 August 2010

The complete hunter.....Wearing camouflage fatigues for his hunting trip, Putin wades through thick undergrowth in his pursuit of game in the Ubsunur Hollow Biosphere Preserve in Tuva Republic, Russia

Vladimir Putin during test driving a Renault F 1 race car on a track outside St. Petersburg, Russia, November 7, 2010.

Vladimir Putin plays pool during informal meeting with Dmitry Medvedev at the Bocharov Ruchei presidential residence in Sochi, Russia late December 2010.

Vladimir Putin playing a piano during a charity concert for children stricken with cancer and eye diseases in St. Petersburg, Russia, 10 December 2010

Vladimir Putin (front L) attends a judo training session at the Moskovsky sports and recreation center in St. Petersburg, Russia, on December 22, 2010.

Vladimir Putin (R) in ice hockey equipment hits a puck while taking part in young hockey players' training prior to the 'Golden Puck' tournament final at Luzhniki Arena stadium in Moscow, Russia, 15 April 2011

Vladimir Putin climbs on a wall during his visit to the Seliger 2011 National Youth Forum near Lake Seliger, Tver region, Russia, 01 August 2011

Putin (front) after going scuba diving in Taman Bay to view the so-called 'Russian Atlantis', the submerged part of the ancient Greek city of Phanagoria on Taman Peninsula, August 10, 2011.

Vladimir Putin seen on a motor boat before visiting the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Valaam Monastery, Republic of Karelia, Russia, 14 August 2011.

Vladimir Putin fishes during a holiday on the Volga River in Astrakhan region, about 1280 kilometers south from Moscow on August 16, 2011.

Vladimir Putin rides with enthusiasts during his visit to a bike festival in the southern Russian city of Novorossiisk, 29 August 2011