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A bizarre new calendar released in Russia sees president Vladimir Putin pictured in a series of staged poses. Picture: Twitter
VLADIMIR Putin has brushed off fears of a new Cold War between Moscow and the West – by releasing a cringe-worthy calendar.
According to The Sun, Russia’s strongman president is the subject of the bizarre 2017 almanac.
It comes complete on glossy paper and features Vlad in a variety of poses.
The 64-year-old iron man might be the cause of fear in the West, but he shows off his cuddly side in one of the images, gently holding a kitten.
March sees the Russian president showing off his softer side by gently cuddling a kitten. Picture: TwitterSource:Twitter
Other pages see Putin return to his hardman image as he wears camouflage and sits in a tree, on horseback and at the controls of a fighter jet.
And in one of the more revealing numbers, the ex-KGB spy strips down to a skin-tight lycra wetsuit as he goes for a dip.
Among the more amusing is a snap of the 64-year-old donning a skin-tight lycra wetsuit. Picture: TwitterSource:Twitter
BBC Russia correspondent Steve Rosenberg revealed the cringe-worthy calendar on Twitter.
Many met it with a mix of emotions.
One wrote: “I’m torn between finding that disturbing and vaguely wanting one.â€
While another joked: “I’m waiting to see what Kim Jong Un’s is like before I order mine.â€
He kept the camouflage on to drive a military vehicle in another snap from the 2017 calendar. Picture: TwitterSource:Twitter
Putin is famous for using staged photoshoots to portray himself as a strongman.
The most notorious was a picture of him riding topless on horseback.
He has also been snapped performing throws during judo bouts.
Russia is currently at loggerheads with the US over his support of embattled Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.
He shows off his spiritual side by lighting a candle alongside a group of Orthodox bishops. Picture: TwitterSource:Twitter
Relations between the two deteriorated dramatically after an aid convoy was bombed on its way to Aleppo, ending a fragile ceasefire.
The US blamed Moscow for the attack.
Vlad is back again in April, donning his military gear to sit at the controls of a fighter jet. Picture: TwitterSource:Twitter