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Letter to the editor

Shirtless Putin still causing stir

After a week, the Russian media still can't get enough.

By Asociated Press
Published August 23, 2007

MOSCOW - When he flexes Russia's diplomatic and military muscle, Vladimir Putin always makes headlines.

But few could have predicted the squall of gossip and speculation that erupted after the president stripped off his shirt for the cameras while vacationing in the Siberian mountains last week.

The resulting images, enshrined on the presidential Web site, inspired admiration, criticism and some racing pulses among his admirers.

The Russian media still can't get enough.

The tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda on Wednesday published a huge color photo of the bare-chested president under the headline: "Be Like Putin."

Its excuse? A guide showing exactly what exercises were required to build up a torso like the Russian leader's.

Kremlin watchers have been trying to guess what kind of political message the pictures send, given that the 54-year-old Putin has insisted he plans to step down at the end of his second term next year, as required by the constitution.

One radio talk show host speculated the photos were meant to enhance Putin's personal appeal to voters - a signal that he doesn't plan to relinquish power. When the commentator, Yevgeniya Albats, went on to suggest the half-naked photo shoot was unbecoming for a Russian leader, female listeners peppered her with e-mails expressing admiration for Putin's physique.

Komsomolskaya Pravda reported that women who visited its Web site posted comments on Putin's "vigorous torso" and said they "were screaming with delight and showering (him) with compliments."

The Russian president, who is married with two daughters, has long cultivated an image of machismo and manliness. Well-known as a downhill skier and black belt in judo, Putin has appeared on television driving a truck, operating a train, sailing on a submarine and co-piloting a fighter jet.

Some say it's all part of the Putin mystique.

"He's cool. That's been the image throughout the presidency, cool," said Sergei Markov of Moscow's Institute for Political Research.

Stanislav Belkovsky, head of the National Strategy Institute think tank, said the pictures were nothing more than an effort to reassure Russians that Putin knows how to relax - and was preparing for retirement.

[Last modified August 23, 2007, 01:08:07]