Striding through grassy fields in an Indiana Jones-style hat, climbing trees in leopard country - just another day in an increasingly adventurous summer for Russia's strongman Vladimir Putin.

The prime minister, who recently dived in a mini-submarine to the floor of the world's deepest lake and attached a transmitter to a whale, was this time visiting the remote Russian region of Tuva in southern Siberia.

Mr Putin - dressed in a green fatigues - camped out overnight, rafted down the region's fast flowing rivers and visited a traditional farmstead, Russian news agencies said.

Pictures taken by his press entourage show him striding through savannah-like fields in ankle-high boots and a hat reminiscent of the Hollywood action hero Indiana Jones.

In another image Mr Putin was shown nestled on the thick branch of a tree, surveying the scene with quiet authority.

A pose, in fact, that appeared to imitate the fabled snow leopard, one of the region's most endangered species.

Russian news agencies described the day's activities as a "holiday" for the prime minister, although it was clearly aimed at reinforcing his tough-guy image that plays so well at home.

Tuva is one of Russia's most remote and exotic regions, populated by a Turkic people famous worldwide for their astonishing throat-singing.

The holiday was as brief as it was dramatic and by the afternoon Mr Putin was seen at a meeting on agriculture in central Russia.

- AFP