普京潛水考古 再秀硬漢風采

俄羅斯總統普京近日乘紅色小型潛水艇潛入波羅的海海底，探索一艘19世紀俄國沙皇時期的沉船殘骸。這是他第三次入主克里姆林宮以來，爲重塑形象所做的又一次努力。普京當天身穿黑夾克、藍牛仔褲和白色運動鞋，登上有透明玻璃前罩的小型潛艇，潛入50米深的海底，大約20分鐘以後，他微笑着潛出水面，並對俄羅斯地理學會的工作予以讚揚。

2011到2012年期間俄羅斯爆發的大規模遊行示威活動一度使普京的民意支持率走低，爲了重塑形象，普京曾多次展現“硬漢形象”。他曾潛入西伯利亞的貝加爾湖湖底，熄滅森林大火，還熱衷於飈卡車。2011年，他戴着水下呼吸器在黑海潛水，並手舉兩件古代陶罐出水，不過克里姆林宮去年承認這是“刻意安排”的。此外，普京還曾駕駛飛機帶領鶴羣遷徙，用麻醉槍射擊老虎，一度引起媒體熱議甚至遭到嘲諷。

Russian President Vladimir Putin took to a red submersible on Monday to dive 50 meters and examine the wreck of a 19th century frigate, his latest stunt in 13 years of power to assert his carefully crafted action man image.

Putin, a 60-year-old former KGB spy more than a year into his third presidential term, is eager to boost his populist appeal to make up for the support lost among Russians following the largest wave of street protests against his rule in 2011-12.

In the past he has submerged in Russia's Lake Baikal, extinguished forest fires and hopped on massive racing trucks.

Wearing a black jacket, blue jeans and white sporting shoes, Putin sat comfortably in the capsule's glassed front and submerged into the Gulf of Finland to look at the wooden wreck.

He resurfaced smiling after some 20 minutes and praised the work of the Russian Geographic Society, which has been studying the sunken vessel, for honoring the memory of Russian sailors who perished in the sea, including during World War Two.

"We didn't really do such work before. I think the time has come now, we can finally do that in terms of financial and technical capabilities. The moral duty towards the Fatherland defenders goes without saying," said Putin, who managed to stay dry.

But in a sign of his changing fortunes, his stunts have increasingly drawn satire and he was ridiculed online as a troubled "alpha-crane" when he flew a deltaplane to lead the rare birds on their migration route last fall.

Putin was forced to admit earlier that a 2011 stunt in which he discovered an ancient amphorae at the bottom of the sea was a set up and he faced accusations that a seemingly wild tiger he tranquilized had been brought in from a zoo.

The disputed stunts echoed in the fresh criticism on Monday with one twitter account saying: "Putin at the Gogland Island will learn about underwater research... Amphorae and tiger cubs have already been delivered."