Vladimir Putin shares holiday photos as Russia faces sanctions

Russia's fragile economy looks to take a hit as rouble drops to a two-week low

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The Kremlin released photographs of Russian President Vladimir Putin on holiday in Siberia.

Dressed in a sheepskin outfit, Mr Putin is pictured standing by what looks like an army vehicle and eating lunch with Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu, in the Siberian taiga region.

It is not the first time the Kremlin has released photos of Mr Putin demonstrating his outdoor prowess. The Russian president is now famed for his vacation shots, which have in the past included him fishing, swimming and on horseback.

Despite looking relaxed in the new photographs, Mr Putin is facing a number of issues back in Moscow – including a struggling economy, rising inflation and soaring food prices.

He is also facing global pressure, largely led by the US.

Last week, US President Joe Biden announced potential new sanctions on Russia over claims that Moscow meddled in the US 2020 presidential election

Mr Biden is also considering sanctions to block construction of the almost finished Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany.

The pipeline increases European dependency on Russian energy and bypasses US ally Ukraine.

This threat of sanctions has caused the already fragile rouble to fall to a two-week low.