The new Putin calendar is here

It’s that time of year again in Russia; A special kind of popular, famous poster calendar for the coming year can be purchased at newsstands, bookstores and the like.

The leading man? Of course, President Vladimir Putin, playing his multifaceted role as father of the nation; a strong leader, religious leader, outdoorsman, historian, dog lover and lifestyle coach.

Various calendars follow the same basic format. Each month features a different picture of Putin and a brief excerpt of his speeches or other public statements from the previous year.

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“It’s the idea of ​​a man for all seasons,” said Fiona Hill, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington who ran the National Security Council’s Russia desk during the first Trump administration.

“They position Putin as an iconic figure, reminding everyone how cool he is, how responsible he is, how he is literally the living symbol and embodiment of everyone’s day.”

There are no images linking Putin to the war he launched against Ukraine in February 2022; This reflects the official line that the conflict is a distant distraction. Lest anyone get the wrong impression, some of the quotes reflect Russia’s strong point of view trying to swallow its smaller neighbor.

In January, we show Putin riding a snowmobile in a parka. Quote of the month: “Russia’s borders never end.” In February, he put his judo partner on his back. The selected quote is “I am a dove but I have very strong iron wings”.

In some calendars, Putin appears to be trying to justify the war in Ukraine by saying: “I think Russia has become much stronger in the last two or three years because we are becoming a truly sovereign country.”

The calendars, which are commercial ventures from different publishing houses, retail for about $5.50 each. They hang in homes as well as school rooms, post offices and other government facilities. Former newspaper editor Maxim Trudolyubov, who left Russia in the middle of the war, said that no matter how many editions there were, the calendars showed a certain similarity. Russia FileA political analysis blog published by the Kennan Institute in Washington, DC.

“This genre is its own kind of art,” he said, noting that Putin, 72, first became president of Russia almost 26 years ago.

“This is an empire with an ancient emperor who’s been around for decades, so it’s supposed to be boring; it’s supposed to signal stability, predictability, even if that’s not the reality.”

The calendars give off a certain “Ken-doll” vibe, with Putin wearing different outfits for different roles. In July, he sits at the piano in a dark suit and tie, quoting a Bolshevik song about making things with his own hands, with a dreamy look in his eyes. By August, he’s donning a hunter’s uniform to offer lifestyle advice: “My recipe for energy: sleep less, work hard and don’t whine.”

Another piece of advice in the calendar provides an example of Putin’s salty humor: “Burying your head in the sand is counterproductive, because something else will emerge anyway.”

Fortunately or unfortunately, Putin seems to have kept his shirt on in public for the past year, so as men’s pin-up calendars go, this year’s versions feature no shirtless photos of Putin on horseback or fishing.

Nor were the action hero images of earlier years, such as Putin piloting a motorized hang glider among migratory birds in Siberia, or an infamously staged shoot in which he donned scuba gear to “explore” a Greek jar deep in the Black Sea.

The calendars started popping up shortly after he first assumed the presidency in 2000, but they actually appear to have taken off around 2011. That year, 12 female journalism students from Moscow State University made their own calendar, each posing in their underwear with a line about Putin.

Read the January quote: “All women need a man like Putin.” Young women criticizing the Russian leader created a counter calendar online by posing in black with their mouths taped.

Hill suggested that this type of branding was part of a “populist, strongman” approach to everything. “Trump is doing exactly the same thing,” he said, noting that it would be difficult to imagine the leaders of Canada, Germany or Britain appearing on T-shirts or similar products. “These people are not as self-respecting and they are in a different political environment.”

Trying to get ahead of the competition, at least one Russian newspaper published Putin’s 2026 calendar in September.

For those who can’t decide whether a Putin calendar is the right buy this year, Putin changed the constitution to remain president until at least 2036, which means there are more than 4,000 shopping days left to buy a calendar.

This article was first published on: New York Times.

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