[putin gym]RT/YouTube Vladimir Putin is keen to portray himself as a patriotic strongman who will lead Russia to greatness on the world stage. To achieve this, he's taken part in various over-the-top, macho photo ops, many of which are reportedly his idea. Putin hopes these images, cultivated since he became president in 1999, will "create connections" with his constituents in Russia, said Fiona Hill, who wrote a biography of the Russian president. However, many of them don't really stand up to scrutiny — scroll down to see what they are. KICKING ASS IN JUDO... AGAINST PEOPLE WHO HARDLY FIGHT BACK. Youtube Embed: //www.youtube.com/embed/1fT_PProJAM Width: 800px Height: 440px Even though Putin has a judo black belt, there's no evidence that he's been publicly challenged by a decent opponent. Benjamin Wittes, an editor at Lawfare blog and judo enthusiast, called the Russian president a "fraud martial artist" who "only fights people who are in his power." "DISCOVERING" FRAGMENTS OF TWO ANCIENT GREEK URNS UNDER THE BLACK SEA — WHICH HIS SPOKESMAN LATER ADMITTED WERE PLANTED. Alexsey Druginyn/RIA Novosti/Pool/Reuters Putin found the artefacts in the six-feet-deep, clear water and announced "the boys and I found them," according to The Guardian. Journalists proceeded to ridicule the photo op. Two months later, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov admitted on the Dozhd TV channel: "Of course they were found in the course of an expedition several weeks or days earlier. Of course they were left there or placed there. It's completely normal. "There's no reason to gloat about this and everything else." SHOWING OFF HIS SOCCER SKILLS WITH FIFA PRESIDENT GIANNI INFANTINO AT THE KREMLIN... WITH THE HELP OF SOME CAREFUL EDITING. Notice how the video cuts out before Putin receives the ball, and crops in close so you can't see what's just happened. Infantino's skills are clear, but Putin's rather less so. The video was part of a PR push to promot the 2018 soccer World Cup, which is being held in Russia. Russian embassies have started displaying soccer in prominent places too. SEE THE REST OF THE STORY AT BUSINESS INSIDER SEE ALSO: * Russia just tested its 'Satan' nuclear missile amid Putin and Trump taunting an arms race * Daughter of Russian ex-spy poisoned by nerve agent is reportedly 'conscious and talking' * 6 countries have a stake in Trump's meeting with Kim Jong Un — here's what all the big players want in coming North Korea talks
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