A shirtless Vladimir Putin rides dolphins before kissing them in a truly bizarre unseen clip.
The Kremlin unearthed and released the footage to commemorate the 20 th anniversary since the former KGB spy became Russia 's President.
According to Putin’s own press service, the video was filmed in December 2000 at Cuban health resort Varadero.
In it, Putin treads water in the pool before two dolphins appear at the surface.
He grabs them by the dorsal fins before riding through they pull him through the water.
The pair of dolphins then appear to kiss the Russian president on the cheeks as he happily splashes in the water.
As he tries to climb out, the dolphins chase after him to seemingly give more kisses.
The Moscow hardman is a well known animal-lover.
In October, Putin gifted the Saudi King with a falcon which was filmed embarrassingly pooing everywhere.
His grand present showed a lack of decorum by going to the toilet over the ground during the handing over of the gift.
Falconry is a popular pastime among Saudi royals and enthusiasts often travel to the desert during weekends to witness the raptors hunt for prey, a chase that can last for days.
It comes after Russia's defence chiefs were set to shut down the country's internet on Monday to "test threats" to its domestic infrastructure.
The communications ministry said, the threat testing will take place in stages on December 23 but will not affect regular internet users.
In November, Russia passed a law known as the “sovereign internet” bill which was aimed at tightening the state's control over the network.
Free speech activists believe it will strengthen government oversight of the country’s cyberspace.
