MOSCOW (REUTERS) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has spent several days on holiday in Siberia, where he was hiking and fishing, the Kremlin said on Sunday (Sept 26), following a short spell in self-isolation as a precautionary measure against Covid-19.

Mr Putin said in the middle of September that he would have to spend "a few days" in self-isolation after dozens of people in his entourage fell ill with Covid-19. He had to cancel his trip to Tajikistan for a security summit.

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

This time, his outings were more mundane.

The Kremlin published 20 photos of Mr Putin standing in a river and catching a fish, walking through lush meadows and talking to Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, his usual holiday companion.

Mr Putin, 68, has had two shots of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine.

The Kremlin has said he was feeling healthy.