MOSCOW: A shirtless Vladimir Putin rides dolphins before kissing them in a truly bizarre unseen clip.
The Kremlin unearthed and released the footage to commemorate the 20th anniversary since the former KGB spy became Russia’s president.
According to Putin’s own Press service, the video was filmed in December 2000 at the Cuban health resort Varadero.
In it, Putin treads water in the pool before two dolphins appear at the surface.
Редкие кадры. Путин плавает с дельфинами pic.twitter.com/TYBhRyxuGn
— Кремлевский пул РИА (@Kremlinpool_RIA) December 30, 2019
He grabs them by the dorsal fins before riding through as they pull him through the water.
The pair of dolphins then appear to kiss the Russian president on the cheeks as he happily splashes in the water.
As he tries to climb out, the dolphins chase after him to seemingly give more kisses.
The Moscow hardman is a well-known animal-lover.
In October, Putin gifted the Saudi King with a falcon.
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