He's everywhere: Even by his own high-octane standards, the Russian prime minister had a banner year in 2010. Using carefully staged photo ops featuring, animals, celebrities and his own feats of derring-do, he more than demonstrated his still rock-solid dominance of Russian politics. Above, screens at a shop in Moscow display images of Putin during his annual televised question-and-answer sesssion on December 16.
NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP/Getty Images
Top gun: Putin sits in the cabin of a Russian firefighting aircraft on Aug. 10 during the effort to contain the wildfires that ravaged several districts of Western Russia over the summer.
ALEXEY NIKOLSKY/AFP/Getty Images
On the ground: Putin speaks with firefighters while visiting the burnt forest areas near Voronezh on August 4. Putin was highly visible during the relief effort, in contrast to President Dmitry Medvedev, who largely observed the crisis from afar.
ALEXEY NIKOLSKY/AFP/Getty Images
That vision thing: Putin looks through binoculars during his working trip to the Central Russian region of Khakassia, on February 25.
ALEKSEY DRUZHININ/AFP/Getty Images
On the range: Putin fishes, hunts, and rides a horse during his trip to Ubsunur Hollow Biosphere Reserve in Tuva Republic in a series of undated photos released Oct. 30.
ALEXEY DRUZHININ/AFP/Getty Images
Thar she blows: Putin aims a harpoon at a whale on the Olga Bay, hoping to take a piece of its skin for analysis, some 240 kilometres northeast of Nakhodka on August 25.
ALEXEY DRUZHININ/AFP/Getty Images
Polar spring: Putin and scientists examining a polar bear on the island of Alexandra Land, part of the Franz Josef Land archipalego in the Arctic Ocean on April 29.
ALEXEY NIKOLSKY/AFP/Getty Images
Danger zone: Putin inspects a new new fifth-generation fighter at Rameskoye airfield on June 17 in Zhukovsky, 40 km. east of Moscow.
Sasha Mordovets/Getty Images
Born to be wild: Putin rides a Harley-Davidson Lehman Trike as he leaves the meeting with motorbikers at their camp at Gasfort Lake near Sevastopol in Ukraine's Crimea Peninsula on July 24.
ALEXANDER ZEMLIANICHENKO/AFP/Getty Images
Go speed racer: Putin wears a helmet and the uniform of the Renault Formula One team before driving a F1 race car on a special track outside St. Petersburg on Nov. 7.
ALEXEY DRUZHININ/AFP/Getty Images
Sensitive side: Putin pets a Belarus police dog in Brest on March 16 during a visit to a border crossing checkpoint between Belarus and Poland.
ALEXEY NIKOLSKY/AFP/Getty Images
In the tank: Putin visits Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Research Centre in Star City outside Moscow on April 6.
ALEXEY NIKOLSKY/AFP/Getty Images
Titan of Industry: Putin visit a new assembly plant set up by Komatsu Manufacturing in Yaroslavl on June 18.
Sasha Mordovets/Getty Images
So slick: Putin visits a Lukoil stationary oil platform in the Caspian Sea on April 28.
ALEXEY DRUZHININ/AFP/Getty Images
Milk man: Putin feeds a moose on June 5 during a visit to the Moose Island National Park in Moscow on the eve of World Environment Day.
ALEXEY DRUZHININ/AFP/Getty Images
New best friend: Putin holds a shepherd dog he received as a gift from Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov on Nov. 30. After a nationwide poll, the dog was eventually named Buffy.*
NIKOLAY DOYCHINOV/AFP/Getty Images
Helping hand: Putin meets with a victim of a metro terrorist bomb attack at a Moscow hospital on March 29.
ALEXEY NIKOLSKY/AFP/Getty Images
Working the line: A picture taken on May 29, 2010 shows Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as he kisses a baby during his visit to Nevskaya Dubrowka dormitory outside St. Petersburg.
ALEXEY DRUZHININ/AFP/Getty Images
Each one teach one: Putin meets with teachers and children during a visit to School Number 88 in Tyumen on February 26.
ALEXEY NIKOLSKY/AFP/Getty Images
Worthy opponent: Putin plays a game of tic-tac-toe against the schoolchildren in Tyumen.
ALEXEY NIKOLSKY/AFP/Getty Images
Glowing with pride: Putin signs the guestbook during a visit to an atomic power station in Volgodonsk on March 18.
ALEXEY DRUZHININ/AFP/Getty Images
Pit stop: Putin refuels a Russian-made Lada Kalina car as he stops at the petrol station in the Khabarovsk region on August 27.
ALEXEY DRUZHININ/AFP/Getty Images
Take a look, it's in a book: Putin gets a library card during a visit to a library in Tyumen on February 26.
ALEXEY NIKOLSKY/AFP/Getty Images
Rescue ranger: Putin tests out equipment as he visits an exhibition of rescue equipment at the Civil Defense Academy of the Russian Ministry of Civil Defence, Emergencies and Disaster Relief in the town of Khimki outside Moscow on November 12.
ALEXEY NIKOLSKY/AFP/Getty Images
Seeing deeper: Putin wears 3-d glasses during a visit to the "visualization center" at the Gazprom Scientific and Research Institute of Natural Gases and Gas Technologies, outside Moscow on Aug. 3.
ALEXEY DRUZHININ/AFP/Getty Images
Rack 'em up: Medvedev and Putin play billiards while on vacation in the the Black Sea resort of Sochi on Dec. 3.
VLADIMIR RODIONOV/AFP/Getty Images
Bunga buddies: Medvedev, Putin, and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi pose for a photo aboard a passenger jet as they tour an airport in Sochi, on Dec. 3.
VLADIMIR RODIONOV/AFP/Getty Images
A river runs through it: Putin fishes with Berlusconi in the Saint Petersburg region on Oct. 9.
ALEXEI NIKOLSKY/AFP/Getty Images
I'll never let go: Putin speaks with U.S. actor Leonardo DiCaprio on November 23 after a concert in honor of the International Tiger Conservation Forum in Saint Petersburg.
ALEXEY DRUZHININ/AFP/Getty Images
Model partnership: Putin takes questions from supermodel Naomi Campbell in an interview held during the International Tiger Conservation Forum on November, 23 in Saint Petersburg.
Konstantin Zavrazhin/TCF/Getty Images
Piano man: Putin plays the opening to "Blueberry Hill" during a charity concert in Saint Petersburg on December 10.
ALEKSEY NIKOLSKYI/AFP/Getty Images
Storm ahead: Putin walks along a river beach during his visit to Nevskaya Dubrowka dormitory outside St. Petersburg on May 29. The coming year will be a consequential one for Putin, as it will include both parliamentary elections and a likely decision over whether he will return to the presidency in 2012.
*This slideshow was corrected to fix an error in the title of the Bulgarian prime minister.
ALEXEY DRUZHININ/AFP/Getty Images
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JACOB BLUES
3:15 PM ET
December 23, 2010
Putin looks like a modern day version of Teddy Roosevelt
He may have the best job in the world at this point. I think that Denny Crane would be envious of all of these photo shots.
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Honestly, if Putin gives up his 'day job' someone should make him an offer to become the replacement for the late Steve Irwin.
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Crikie!
NEOSHADOWS
10:28 PM ET
December 23, 2010
Putin is old.
Putin is old.
XMASTER4000
1:47 AM ET
December 24, 2010
An old badass nonetheless
An old badass nonetheless
MOOKSTHEOOKS
11:25 AM ET
December 24, 2010
Putin or Palin? He should
Putin or Palin? He should start a reality show.
CEOUNICOM
8:21 PM ET
December 24, 2010
T-minus...
...30 seconds until a Russian comes here telling us how this is typical Western media propaganda slandering their heroic leader...
CEOUNICOM
8:27 PM ET
December 24, 2010
Im disappointed...
...that many of these pictures were reruns from the Summer story...
The whale hunting shot is still my favorite.
We missed the reuse of the "I stare down bears" shot though
RVILMS
9:38 PM ET
December 24, 2010
A suggestion/request for slideshows
I am subscriber and website reader of several years. I have a request/suggestion for FP slideshows--could you add a click-through functionality on the photographs? This would be so that one could click the photograph itself to go the next page rather than go to the bottom to hit the next button. It would be a much easier browsing experience.
Thanks!
CAMAELJAX
10:58 AM ET
December 26, 2010
Typical Russophobic Hypocrisy
FP just cannot stand that Putin has learned to act like Western politicians and care about his PR and public image. They are really obcessed about this. But where is the criticism and derision of photo shoots when the Western media lavishes slavish coverage on George Bush for flying a jet out to a an aircraft carrier for 'Mission Accomplished' or 'clearing brush out on his ranch' ...or when Barack Obama is shooting hoops, drinking beer with 'average guys', or swatting fly's out of the air like a 'Jedi'?
What drives FP really crazy IMHO is that Putin has successfully steered a resurgence of Russia independent of the US and Atlantacist geopolitics and is genuinely popular with the Russian people for it...
MALICEIT
2:08 PM ET
December 26, 2010
I agree.
I agree.
TCH
9:00 PM ET
December 27, 2010
It depends on where you look
FP may have its issues but I believe you are not looking in the right places as you can find criticism of any modern leader as this is the information age. If I recall correctly George W. Bush was throughly savaged for his "Mission Accomplished" stunt.
PUBLICUS
2:37 PM ET
December 28, 2010
the Kursk
Putin learned from the reaction of the Russian people (and the world) from his blase' indifferent and remote non reaction to the Kursk submarine disaster that he needs to present a better image of his real cold hearted self. We recall of course that, when in August of 2000 the Kursk went down due to its own self destruction of Russian design, Putin remained on vacation in the sunny South of Russia far from the frigid waters of the Barents Sea, all the while ignoring foreign offers of assistance to try to save the surviving crew who, consequent to Putin's remote disaffected attitude perished negligently and because of Putin's absolute heartlessness.
However, the new and shinny Putin hardly has become caring, empathetic or even sympathetic to the vicissitudes of the Russian people. He's simply become the new and locally adapted version of the Marlboro Man (who of course died of lung cancer). Putin and George Dumbya have a lot in common, i.e., empty eyes and empty heads, but Dumbya isn't running the United States any more while Putin is and remains leader of Russia for life. And the Russians love it. The American people instead love the fact that Dumbya is gone forever from public life or office, as is the entire (disastrous) Bush Dynasty.
Vlad the Jailer and the Gitmo waterboarder Bush are not very different. The real difference is in the reaction of the people of each country to each of these bozos. While the American people are glad to be rid of Dumbya and reacted to him by the most welcome election of Barack Obama, the Russian people are happy to receive and endorse Vlad the Jailer and the superficial, facile self promoter for life. Vlad the Jailer, the newest Tsar.
I happen to think that in the United States Putin could make it a US Senator from South Carolina or as governor of Arizona, nothing more, nothing of any consequence. I would add that that in Russia Dumbya for a change could have his first success as a businessman due to Russia's system of oligarchy, mafia rule and the Kremlin scheming as their own bizarre local three branches of government.
Putin's lesson from the extensive criticisms of his cold blooded heartless indifference to the Kursk disaster - who today besides grieving family remember the Kursk death trap of a Uboat? - is to muzzle the press, to kill journalists investigating the three branches of the Russian elites, i.e., the government-mob-oligarchy complex, and to present himself as the Russian Schwartzenegger (in midget form of course). Yeah, Vlad the Jailer has learned well from the Western PR machine and the large number of Russians in their haze think he's the greatest thing since, well, vodka.
ARNESTON
3:58 AM ET
January 7, 2011
Thanks for right words. It's
Thanks for right words. It's really true
CAMAELJAX
11:01 AM ET
December 26, 2010
Oh and CEOUNICOM - no, I'm
Oh and CEOUNICOM - no, I'm not a Russian citizen, but an American military vet. The fact that I was born in the US does not prevent me from seeing Western hypocrisy and Russophobia when it jumps off the screen though...
S.SAVIC
11:31 AM ET
December 26, 2010
He`s only doing what American
He`s only doing what American presidents try to do...just better. He`s genuinely popular in Russia, unlike past American presidents.
JOHNDMOORE3000
6:39 AM ET
December 27, 2010
Putin takes part practically
Putin takes part practically in all branches sometimes even not clearly who there the president. But if all politicians were such active for certain to live to us it would be easier
PUBLICUS
11:07 AM ET
December 27, 2010
The jailer
Vlad 'the jailer' Putin has just today struck again, putting perhaps the most successful oil tycoon and prominent rich political opponent, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, in prison on a new conviction just as his previous conviction concluded its 7 year term.
I'd like to ask Vlad the jailer about the murders of Russian journalists who had been investigating the interface between Russian oligarchs, the Russian mob and the government. Three branches of the same rotted tree.
VALTCHANOVA
7:34 PM ET
December 29, 2010
Correction
Mr Boyko Borisov is still Prime Minister of Bulgaria (speculation is rife about his presidential ambitions). FP in prophetic mode, perhaps?! ;)