Putin holidays in remote Russian wilderness fishing spot of Amur Oblast

Russian president was pictured hiking in Amur Oblast, Siberia

In this undated pool photo released by the Kremlin Press Service via Sputnik on Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021, Russian President Vladimir Putin catches his trophy as he fishes during his and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu short vacation in early September, 2021 after his working visit to the Primorye and the Amur Region of the Russian Far East. (Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

After completing his working trip to Primorye and the Amur Region, Vladimir Putin stopped in Siberia for a few days. AFP

A collection of Russian President Vladimir Putin's Siberia holiday pictures was released by the Kremlin Press Service via Sputnik on September 26, 2021. AP

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, speaks with his Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu in the taiga - In early September 2021, during his Siberia holiday. AFP

The Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin spent several days hiking and fishing in Siberia in early September. AFP

Several days after the trip, in the middle of September, Mr Putin announced he was going into self-isolation for 'a few days' after dozens of people in his entourage fell ill with Covid-19. AFP

Mr Putin had to cancel his trip to Tajikistan for a security summit as he had to go into isolation following the detection of Covid-19 positive cases in his entourage. AFP

President Vladimir Putin stops during a walk in the Siberian taiga. AFP

Mr Putin has cultivated a macho image, appealing to many Russians. AFP

This is not the first time that Mr Putin has chosen Siberia for a holiday. He last spent a weekend in the snowy taiga in March. AFP

Russian President Vladimir Putin is known for enjoying his staycations and has been seen riding horseback, trekking and taking snowmobile rides.

Over the weekend, pictures of Mr Putin, 68, showed him fishing and hiking in the remote wilderness of Amur Oblast, Siberia.

As well as standing in a river to catch fish, he was seen walking through lush meadows and talking to Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, his usual holiday companion.

A caption under one of the 20 pictures published on the Kremlin website said the president stopped for a few days in Siberia after a working trip to Russia's Far East in early September.

Mr Putin went on the trip around the time he was due to go into self-isolation after members of his Cabinet caught Covid-19.

The Russian leader has had two shots of the country's Sputnik V vaccine and the Kremlin said he was feeling healthy.

Located in Russia’s far east, Amur is one of the most remote inhabited parts of Russia. Accessible by two railways, the Trans-Siberian express and the Baikal-Amur mainline, the Oblast – or Russian province – has a population of less than 1 million, despite being roughly the size of Japan, covering 360,000 square kilometres.

Without taking the train, Mr Putin and Mr Shoigu could have taken an eight hour flight from Moscow to Amur's Khurba airport, followed by hours of driving or a short helicopter ride to get to their nature-filled retreat.

While Mr Putin's protection detail have little to worry from foreign threats during his break, Amur is home to the Amur tiger, one of the most endangered – and dangerous – mammals on the planet, as well as the Ussuri brown bear, a vegetarian animal that is known to have killed humans.

Mr Putin's cultivated macho image appeals to many Russians and he has previously been pictured riding a horse bare-chested and in sunglasses, as well as carrying a hunting rifle and piloting a fighter jet.