How Putin became master of the image

How Putin became master of the image 19 hours ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Bridget Kendall Former Moscow and diplomatic correspondent at the BBC, and contributor to Putin: In Ten Pictures on BBC iPlayer BBC Throughout his time as Russian President, Vladimir Putin has been alert to the power of visual imagery. The first time I interviewed him in 2001, an aide swooped in just before the cameras went live and snatched away the small water glasses on the table in front of us. "Why did you do that?" I asked. "We wouldn't want anyone to think they were for vodka," came the reply. "And anyway, we can't risk a glass spilling live on TV. Television is a nuclear bomb when it comes to publicity." "Everybody in Russia, but especially Putin, realised that TV was the key to the consolidation of power," says the author and political analyst Peter Pomerantsev. Shutterstock / Reuters From schoolboy to the longest-serving Russian leader since Joseph Stalin Over the years, Putin has transformed Russia from a fragile emerging democracy into a largely authoritarian state revolving around himself as president. He has also dramatically transformed himself. Early photos show him as a slight, reticent figure who seemed wary of the camera. So how did this seemingly quiet, retiring child and self-effacing bureaucrat turn into a president who so avidly embraced the limelight? Created by TV His keen interest in the power of image far predated his rise to power. Like most youngsters growing up in the 1960s and 70s, Putin was a child of the television age. His role models were the spy heroes of popular Soviet TV series and movies. By his own admission, these strong, silent double agents battling against enemies of the Soviet state were what inspired him to seek a career in the KGB, the Soviet Union's intelligence agency. As a KGB operative and then an assiduous apparatchik, he avoided attention. But when in 1999 he was catapulted into the role of acting president and a few months later elected president, he and his PR advisers showed themselves acutely aware of the importance of visual imagery in shaping his presidential persona. Part of the image-making process was to edit out what was unhelpful. So Putin came across as a virtual teetotaller. At annual meetings with foreign policy experts at the Valdai Discussion Club, he would stick to a cup of tea with honey while they were served fine wines. AFP via Getty Images Putin created an image of teetotalism against the backdrop of a heavy drinking culture On occasions when he did have a drink, his minders tried to keep it under wraps. I once met the custodian of a local museum who told me how he had sat down with the president to enjoy some Russian pancakes smeared with vodka to give them an extra kick. "But don't tell anyone," he implored me. "They were very strict about it. I might get into terrible trouble." Another part of the plan was to drum home the message that he was nothing like his predecessor, Boris Yeltsi