The Russian prime minister, a renowned lover of extreme sports, twice ascended the mountains of Tyva together with Minister of Civil Defence, Emergencies, and Disaster Relief, Sergei Shoigu, a native to the region. Putin slept in a tent, sat by the fire, and ate porridge and ukha from the cauldron.
Recently, after a generating unit at the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric power station was repaired and launched, the prime minister spent several hours of his visit in the foothills of the Karatash mountains in Khakassia. It was below 30ºC at the time, and the area was covered with snow, but Putin walked in the taiga and rode a horse into the mountains. There was a nature sanctuary nearby, and Vladimir Putin asked the local authorities how the unique environment was being protected.
The prime minister must have planned the trek beforehand, as he was equipped with a suit he brought from Moscow. The horse he rode was local, and as he left, Putin stroked its head, thanking it for a good ride.
Larisa Kaftan