Biden recently called Putin a "killer". Photo / Kremlin/AP
Biden recently called Putin a "killer". Photo / Kremlin/AP
Russian President Vladimir Putin has stepped out for a fresh set of publicity pictures amid growing tensions with the US and reports that he has drawn up a "kill" list of his opponents.
Putin, who was recently described as a "killer" by US President Joe Biden, spent the weekend in Siberia with his defence minister, Sergei Shoygu.
The Kremlin released photos of the men's weekend together, showing the pair doing everyday activities like taking part in arts and crafts activities, enjoying meals together al fresco - and rolling around in a tracked all-terrain vehicle.
Putin and Shoigu took to the taiga in an all-terrain vehicle. Photo / Kremlin/AP
The pair enjoyed a meal of cold cuts and vegetables. Photo / Kremlin/AP
To ward off the chill of the taiga, the two were dressed in sheepskin outfits.
Putin stayed warm in a sheepskin outfit. Photo / Kremlin/AP
The photos come as a British newspaper claims that Putin has issued a "kill" list of his opponents and quoted a Russian spy as saying that the President has warned his "long arms" will reach his opponents.
The Daily Mirror reported the Putin is planning a campaign of assassinations as pandemic restrictions are lifted across Europe.
The new photos are the latest in a series of publicity photos that Putin has released over his time as leader of Russia that show him engaged in physical pursuits.
He has been pictured taking part in shirtless fishing, swimming in rivers and taking on opponents in judo.
In 2017, photos showed Vladimir Putin on a fishing holiday, topless. Photo / Kremlin/Getty
Last week, US President Joe Biden took a strong line on Russia, saying the days of the US "rolling over" to Putin are done. In the ABC interview Biden replied "I do" when asked if he thought Putin was a "killer". Russia responded by recalling its ambassador in Washington for consultations.
Putin then shot back by pointing to the US history of slavery, the slaughter of Native Americans and the atomic bombing of Japan in World War II in an "it-takes-one-to-know-one" response.
Russia's relations with the United States and the European Union already had plunged to post-Cold War lows after Moscow's 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, meddling in elections, hacking attacks and, most recently, the jailing of Russia's opposition leader Alexei Navalny after his poisoning, which he blamed on the Kremlin. Russian authorities rejected the accusations.
Then, the US national intelligence director's office released a report finding that Putin authorised influence operations to help Trump's re-election bid. The Biden administration warned that Russia would face sanctions soon over its attempt to influence the election and the widespread SolarWinds hacks.
"[Putin] will pay a price," Biden said in the ABC interview when asked about the declassified report.
