Vladimir Putin scuba dives at 'Russian Atlantis,' makes rare discovery
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin took a scuba dive at an archeological site in the Black Sea today. And he came up holding not one, but two artifacts.
Putin was diving off the coast of the Taman Peninsula, the site of the ancient Greek city of Phanagoria. Video shot from the state broadcaster Russia Today shows Putin happening upon the partly buried amphorae.
The dive's site, called the "Russian Atlantis," is within the region encompassed by the Taman Expedition, said to be Russia's biggest archaeological project. Putin discovered the relics at a depth of about six feet, according to state-owned newswire RIA Novosti, which referred to the dive as "yet another of [Putin's] trademark adventure activities."
Putin was humble about the discovery, but he did remark on the significance of the area itself. "Mankind will be interested to learn that we have such riches," he said. "I believe people will come from all over the world."
Adding onto this last realization, he briefly discussed creating a museum at the site.
Putin's heroic escapades have drawn media attention for some time now. In recent years, the prime minister has been caught on film fighting fires, tracking whales, shooting a Siberian tiger with a tranquilizer darts, and driving a Formula One racecar at 150 m.p.h.
