The unknown face of Putin. Sensational recordings revealed
For many years, the Kremlin meticulously shaped the image of Vladimir Putin as a perfectly built, elegantly dressed, and well-groomed man. He was presented as the object of Russian women's sighs and an unattainable standard for men. However, some time ago, Finnish television revealed archival footage that sheds a completely new light on the character of Putin.
The recordings come from the early 90s, just after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. At that time, Putin was just beginning his political career, serving as an advisor to the then mayor of Petersburg, Anatolij Sobczak.
That's when Putin, along with Sobchak, went on vacation to Finland at the invitation of the Finnish company Thomesto, which is involved in importing wood from Russia.
During his stay at the representative villa of the Thomesto Group, located on Torsö Island in Raasepori on the southern coast of Finland, Putin was with his then wife Lyudmila and daughters.
"Putin filmed"
Several videos were filmed during that vacation. One of them was made public on YouTube a few years ago, but quickly disappeared - as reported by Finnish television Yle. The reason? Putin takes great care of his image and only those photos and recordings that he approves can appear in the public space.
The recordings, in which we see a neglected, short man with sloppily trimmed hair and visible baldness, do not fit the macho image that Putin has tried to create over the years.
- This is what Putin was like before he became rich: a bad jacket, bad hairstyle, bad sleeveless undershirt - said in an interview with Finnish television, "The Guardian" columnist and Russia expert, Luke Harding.
Putin in a tracksuit
In the footage, we see a man in a tracksuit, who lazily plays table tennis in a sleeveless undershirt. Sometimes a smile appears on his face, but when he notices the camera, he tries to turn his face away, as if he didn't want anyone to recognize him in the this footage.
Putin seems to be perpetually cold: while others are wearing short-sleeved shirts, he is in a tracksuit and jacket. When fishing, he is the only one to pull a hood over his head. Even at the table, while savoring tasty meat, he tightly zips up his tracksuit sweatshirt all the way to the neck.
"Have you seen these photos yet? The future great geostrategist, sex symbol, and dream of all Russian women. As well as the future murderer, international terrorist, and maniac" - this is how the published recordings were commented on, by the former Ukrainian Interior Minister, Anton Heraszczenko.
