Vladimir Putin‘s latest calendar has been released, but with one traditional element missing.
The despot has, unusually, chosen to keep his shirt on for the 2026 calendar.
In years gone by, he bared his torso in a swaggering attempt to show off his masculinity, virility and strength.
Fiona Hill, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, told the New York Times: ‘They are positioning Putin as this iconic figure, reminding everybody how cool he is, how much in charge he is, how much he’s kind of the living symbol and embodiment of literally everybody’s days’.
But amid recent rumours of his ailing health, the Russian leader has decided to cover up.
The 2026 calendar holds 12 different images of Putin, each paired with a short quote from his speeches or other public remarks from the last year.
January shows him in a parka on top a snowmobile, with a quote that reads: ‘Russia’s border never ends.’
February, meanwhile, has him flipping a judo partner onto his back with the words: ‘I am a dove, but I have very powerful iron wings’.
The despot has, unusually, chosen to keep his shirt on for the 2026 calendar
The calendars are being sold for roughly £2.65, and make their way into classrooms, post offices and government facilities, as well as homes, across Russia.
Despite twisting the country’s constitution to ensure he remains leader until at least 2036, Putin’s health is believed to be suffering.
Earlier this month, a handshake between Putin and a health expert sparked debate over his health as eagle-eyed viewers spotted bulging veins in his hands and unusual fist-clenching.
Putin, 73, met with Yekaterina Leshchinskaya, 22, the chair of the Russian Healthy Fatherland movement, to discuss the possibility of banning the sale of e-cigarettes in the country when the marks on his hands were noticed.
As he reached to shake the woman’s hand, the Russian leader’s right hand was seen with visible bulging veins, prominent tendons, and thin, wrinkled skin.
Footage of the moment saw the Russian leader appear to nervously move his fingers and clench them into a fist under his blazer sleeve.
Following the circulation of the clip on X, and later in Polish media, Ukrainian sources have suggested that the Russian dictator may be suffering from pain.
Prominent interviewer, and media personality Dmytro Gordon said: ‘Putin clenches his hands into something resembling fists.
‘They look swollen and sore, with veins bulging prominently on one hand.’
The calendars often make their way into classrooms, post offices and government facilities, as well as homes, across Russia
Following the circulation of the clip on social media, Ukrainian sources have suggested that the Russian dictator may be suffering from pain
Other sources say that Putin merely exhibits the normal signs of male ageing which he seeks – through alleged cosmetic surgery – to hide from Russians after more than a quarter of a century in power.
The footage has reignited rumours around the Russian president’s health, but the Kremlin has dismissed all suggestions that the Russian leader is ill as ‘hoaxes’.
Next year’s calendars stand in stark contrast to previous iterations.
The 2024 veterans’ calendar infamously hosted a drawing of Putin with rippling biceps in a black ‘Z’ T-shirt that has the national flag stitched onto the sleeve.
Released by a support group for FSB veterans, it also depicts Russian special forces, backed by drones and a helicopter, attacking the US Capitol building in Washington for the month November.
It attempts to show Russian soldiers as protectors, with various illustrations of Putin’s men comforting women, children and pets.
The recommended retail price for the calendar, which was designed by Moscow illustrator Tatyana Kazantseva, was £40 (4,500 rubles) but it was on sale at some retailers for £8.70 (986 rubles).
