After getting his adrenaline going with some extreme sports on Lake Baikal (specifically, submersion all the way to the bottom of the lake), Prime Minister Vladimir Putin sought more adventure in the wild mountains of Tyva. He was so impressed by its breathtaking landscapes when he first visited the area two years ago that he came back again last year, and then for a third visit this time around. He spent Sunday evening and all of Monday in the mountains.
While he was there, the Prime Minister didn't waste any time: he slept in a tent, went for a swim in the ice-cold mountain river, and braved the rapids of the temperamental Hemchik River while fishing and rafting in an inflatable boat. Overall, it was a very rugged weekend.
Yet, the Prime Minister's visit to the mountains was not all entertainment: he also talked with the scientists who are hard at work studying the Russian snow leopard (irbis). For a long time, these leopards were thought to be extinct in Russia, but this turned out not to be true. Mr Putin was so dazzled by the rare, majestic animals during his first visit to Tyva two years ago that he started up a project to study and preserve the snow leopard. The scientists showed the Prime Minister pictures of the animals taken in the wild by hidden cameras, since any photographer would clearly not be able to achieve such a result because they do not allow man near them. Mr Putin also talked to a sheep herder on a mountain plateau. The herder didn't immediately recognize who the man in camouflage fatigues walking towards him was. In such a deserted place, there are no passers-by.
The mountaineer's Russian left a lot to be desired; he only spoke his native Tyva tongue. Regardless, however, the two men managed to communicate with the help of Emergencies Minister Sergey Shoigu, who is himself a native of the area and who had once invited the Prime Minister to experience the untamed nature of the mountains. He acted as an interpreter between Mr Putin and the local sheep herder.
Mr Putin then invited his new acquaintance to have some tea, at which point, the native, so moved by the unexpected meeting, invited the Prime Minister to his home. Since his home could only be reached on horseback, however, the eager host first had to venture home to bring back a horse for his special guest. When the herder finally ushered the Prime Minister into his home, his family was absolutely stunned; after all, it's not too often that heads of the Government stop by. The man introduced his son and daughters to Mr Putin. In response to all the warmth and hospitality, Mr Putin kindly took off his watch and gave it to the man's son, and to the cordial sheep herder himself, he gave his hunting knife. Both very useful - and in this case, unforgettable - gifts for a mountaineer.
Larisa Victorova
