Pictures of bare-chested Putin send straight women and gay men in ecstasy

Russia's President Putin always makes front pages of almost all newspapers in the world when he releases sharp statements about Russia's growing power in international politics. However, Putin created a different kind of controversy when he removed his shirt for cameras while vacationing with  Prince Albert II of Monaco in the Siberian mountains last week.

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The resulting images of the presidential abs, prominently enshrined on the presidential Web site, inspired admiration, criticism and some racing pulses among his admirers.

Click here to see Putin bare-chested

The Russian media still cannot get enough.

The mass market tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda on Wednesday published a huge color photo of the barechested president, under the headline: "Be Like Putin." It's excuse? A guide showing exactly what exercises were required to build up a torso like that of the Russian leader.

Meanwhile, Kremlin watchers have been busy trying to guess what kind of political message the pictures might send, given that Putin has insisted he plans to step down at the end of his second presidential term next year, as required by the constitution.

One radio talk show host speculated that the pictures were meant to enhance Putin's personal appeal to voters - a strong signal that he doesn't plan to relinquish power. When the commentator, Yevgeniya Albats, went on to suggest that his half-naked photo shoot was unbecoming a Russian leader, female listeners peppered her with emails expressing admiration for Putin's physique.

Komsomolskaya Pravda reported that women who visited its Web site posted comments on Putin's "vigorous torso" and said they "were screaming with delight and showering (him) with compliments."

Russian gay chat rooms and blogs were particularly intrigued by the photos: Some claimed that Putin, by stripping to his waist, was somehow pleading for more tolerance of homosexuality in Russia - where gays and lesbians are for the most part forced to remain closeted.

One satirical photo circulating on the Internet jokingly compared Putin's mountain adventure with Prince Albert to the movie Brokeback Mountain, a love story about gay cowboys.

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