Vladimir Putin, Russia's diminutive ex-spy-cum-prime minister has gone to great lengths, distances, and depths to cultivate his image as a swashbuckling man of action. Here are some of the Russian leader's most glaringly, er, robust photo ops over the years, a campaign that appeared to be stepped up once he left the presidency in May 2008.
Putin's Carefully Crafted Swagger

1
Putin throws a Japanese judo expert during an exhibition in Tokyo in September 2000.

2
Putin helps scientists tag a Siberian tiger in August 2008.

3
A shirtless Putin famously hunts in the foothills of the Sayan Mountains in the Republic of Tuva in August 2007.

4
Putin inside a submersible during a dive into the depths of Lake Baikal in August 2009.