Putin unveils his ‘vigorous torso’ on holiday

Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin has once again released a series of macho holiday snaps. Putin had himself photographed on a Siberian mini-break, posing topless while horse-riding, breaking sticks of wood with his bare hands and speeding off in a jet boat. The former KGB agent is also shown in a pensive mood, sitting in the branches of a tree, and taking tea with an elderly Siberian shepherd.

In 2007 Putin was photographed topless on a fishing trip in the Yenisei River. The judo black belt has also flown in a fighter aircraft and shot a Siberian tiger in the world. According to Russian polls, these adventures have turned the 56-year-old with the "vigorous torso" - as the Russian press put it - into a national pin-up.

The question is, a pin-up for whom? Some commentators are suggesting there's something a little camp about the latest pictures, which were taken during a one-day photo-op stopover in the remote region of Tuva, in between working visits to different Siberian towns.

Last week, the former president was busy clipping radio transmitters on to beluga whales in the Russian Far East. A day later he took a submarine trip in the world's deepest lake, Lake Baikal – and emerged looking a little pale and groggy.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING:

Shaun Walker, the Independent: "These days, hardly a month goes by without Mr Putin pulling such a stunt. But while these latest photographs were clearly once again designed to boost the Prime Minister's macho image, the cynical observer might wonder if the poses that he strikes aren't rather more Brokeback Mountain than Jason Bourne."

James Sturcke, the Guardian: "In past years the Russian press has reported that women have praised Putin's 'vigorous torso' and said they were screaming with delight and showering him with compliments. Russian gay chat rooms and blogs have also been intrigued by the photos over the years, with some suggesting his bare-chested posturing was a plea for more tolerance of homosexuality in Russia - where gays and lesbians are for the most part forced to remain closeted."