Location still a mystery for aching president's away-from-it-all hike.
Vladimir Putin pictured during his trip to Tyva Republic, July 2013. Picture: Kremlin.ru
'The day before yesterday was a day of walking for me. I walked in the mountains for almost 9 kilometres,' he said, opening a session of the Presidential Council for the Development of Physical Culture and Sport.
'Everything still hurts.'
The Kremlin said that Putin had retreated to a location 300 to 400 kilometres (190-250 miles) away from the nearest town or village, said RIA Novosti.
Despite this, he still fitted in phone conversations with foreign leaders, including Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who congratulated him on his birthday.
A day later he appeared in Novosibirsk - where he opened a new bridge across the Ob River on Wednesday.
Some Siberian sources speculated he was in the Altai Mountains but others believe he was in the remote southern republics of Tyva or Khakassia.
Archeologists discovered a new stone bracelet, two sharp pins, a marble ring and fox tooth pendants.
Comments (4)
Instead of sitting glued to the tv and poisoning their minds, eating rubbish - they are out and about. My paternal grandfather worked the land, build his own home and even rode his horses well into his 90's.
С днём рождения! President Putin