Russian President Vladimir Putin made a visit to the Republic of Buryatia, located 4,500 kilometers east of Moscow, on Monday. This marks his third trip to Siberia in less than three weeks, as reported by EFE.
According to the state news agency RIA Novosti, Putin is set to attend an exhibition organized by the state university in Ulan-Ude, the capital of Buryatia.
Buryatia, a Buddhist region bordering Lake Baikal, is one of the Russian entities that has contributed a significant number of soldiers to the war in Ukraine. On July 24, Putin visited Irkutsk to inspect an aircraft factory and meet local leaders, followed by a trip to the heart of Siberia in the Krasnoyarsk region on August 3.
Despite the recent deaths of seven swimmers in the Black Sea due to a Ukrainian drone explosion at a crowded beach, the Russian leader has not altered his travel plans. Since last year, the Kremlin has significantly increased security measures for Putin, who has reduced his travel due to Ukrainian drones hitting targets across European Russia and even beyond the Ural Mountains.
This year, aside from trips to Moscow and St. Petersburg, Putin has only visited Kazan for an ASEAN summit and recently traveled to Irkutsk and Krasnoyarsk.
It remains unclear whether Putin is on vacation in Siberia, a place he used to visit with former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu before the latter fell out of favor. Growing public dissatisfaction with the war, internet restrictions, and the current fuel crisis have contributed to a decline in Putin’s popularity, which mirrors trends seen in 2018 after the controversial pension reform was approved.
