Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that he sees no need to cover up when he is on vacation in response to a question about the shirtless photos the Kremlin frequently releases of him.
An Austrian reporter asked Putin for information on the “half-naked” photos from his vacation last year, according to Russia Today.
“There are many photos of you half-naked, which is rather unusual for a head of state,” the reporter asked. “These photos were not taken by paparazzi or tourists. They were published by the Kremlin. What is the story behind these photos?”
{mosads}
“You said ‘half-naked’ not ‘naked,’ thank God. When I am on vacation I see no need to hide behind the bushes, and there is nothing wrong with that,” Putin responded.
Recent shirtless photos of Putin on vacation are the latest in a string of similar photos periodically published by the Russian government
Even though the photos are largely seen as propaganda, media outlets have closely covered the images after they became popular on the internet.