Last Action Hero[/b]
Vladimir Putin's year of adventure.
DECEMBER 22, 2010
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 President 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
Vladimir Putin's year of adventure.
DECEMBER 22, 2010
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 President 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
