The Russian president reappeared in public for the first time in 10 days on Monday, attending a meeting with the president of Kyrgyzstan in St. Petersburg. The Russian leader deflected reporters’ questions about his whereabouts, saying only, “It’s boring without rumors.”
Putin’s reappearance coincided with several reports sure to raise tensions among his neighbors. Putin put Russia’s Northern Fleet, as well as associated airborne troops and other military units, on full alert as part of a readiness drill aimed at potential conflict in the Arctic, a region where Russia has become more assertive in recent months.