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Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
Lifestyle
Asharq Al-Awsat

Putin Ends Self-Isolation with Siberian Fishing Trip

Russian President Vladimir Putin fishes during a short vacation at an unknown location in Siberia, Russia, in this undated photo taken in September 2021 and released September 26, 2021. Sputnik/Alexei Druzhinin/Kremlin via Reuters

Russian President Vladimir Putin has spent several days on holiday in Siberia where he was hiking and fishing, the Kremlin said on Sunday, following a short spell in self-isolation as a precautionary measure against COVID-19.

Putin said in the middle of September he would have to spend "a few days" in self-isolation after dozens of people in his entourage fell ill with COVID-19. He had to cancel his trip to Tajikistan for a security summit.

Putin has cultivated a macho image, appealing to many Russians, and has previously been pictured riding a horse bare-chested and in sun glasses, as well as carrying a hunting rifle and piloting a fighter jet.

This time, his outings were more mundane.

The Kremlin published 20 photos of Putin standing in a river and catching a fish, walking through lush meadows and talking to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, his usual holiday companion.

Putin, 68, has had two shots of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine.

The Kremlin has said he was feeling healthy.

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