Russian President Vladimir Putin responds to his shirtless photo-ops

Russian President Vladimir Putin defended the picture of him shirtless on vacation by categorically stating that he has "no reason to hide". He also seems unfazed by the memes and ridicule surrounding these photos.

On August 05, 2017, Kremlin had released a shirtless photograph of Putin relaxing after fishing during a trip to Tyva, Southern Siberia, Russia. Another image of him riding a horse, half-naked, was released. Both this images were turned into thousands of memes by the online community. Putin, however, is unfazed by all this.

In a report published by the Business Insider, Putin’s interview with the Austrian reporter, Armin Wolf is quoted where he says that he finds no reason to hide behind the bushes when he is on a vacation and there is nothing wrong with that.

Wolf had asked Putin about the background on his half-naked photos released by Kremlin stating, “There are many photos of you half-naked, which is rather unusual for a head of state. These photos were not taken by paparazzi or tourists. They were published by the Kremlin. What is the story behind these photos?” Putin calmly replied, “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.”