Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is expected to win presidential elections on March 4. This would return him to the office he occupied from 1999 to 2008. After serving two terms, Mr. Putin stepped down and chose Dmitry Medvedev as his successor. In September 2011, Mr. Medvedev said he would not seek a second term and Mr. Putin would run instead. Mr. Putin is the favorite in the upcoming election, in part due to the personal appeal he has cultivated in media appearances and photo opportunities.
Vladimir Putin's Public Image
Putin At Valaam Monastery, August 14, 2011.
Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Putin enjoy some fishing on the river Volga in Russia's Astrakhan region August 16, 2011. (Reuters)
The image collections on the Russian government site, premier.gov.ru, feature dozens of photos of the president in camoflauge, captioned as "Vladimir Putin's nature reserve trips."
Putin playing pool in Khaborovsk
Visiting the Valaam Monastery in Russia, August 14 2011.
Putin at the Second Platform S-70 Mixed Martial Arts International Tournament in Sochi, Russia.
Feeding a young elk at the national park 'Losiny Ostrov' (Elk Island) in Moscow, June 5, 2010. (Reuters)
At an international motorcycle show in Novorosslisk, August 29, 2011. (Photo: premier.gov.ru)
Riding a horse in Tuva, southern Siberia, August 3, 2009. (Reuters)
Visiting the Sellger 2011 International Youth Forum. (Photo: premier.gov.ru)
Putin attends a judo training session in St. Petersburg, December 18, 2009. (Reuters)
Putin on a climbing wall during his visit to the pro-Kremlin youth group "Nashi" at lake Seliger, Russia, August 1, 2011. (Reuters)
Putin firing darts with a crossbow at an endangered grey whale from a motorboat in the Sea of Japan, August 25, 2010. (Reuters)
Putin hugging a Bulgarian shepherd dog, after receiving it as a present from Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boiko Borisov in Sofia, November 13, 2010.(Reuters)