In case you missed it, photos of Russian leader Vladimir Putin enjoying a summer retreat were recently released by the Kremin. Naturally, the internet had to share some hilarious Putin summer vacation photo memes.
Before we get into the wonders of Photoshop, know that there are real, actual holiday photos of Putin swimming, diving, and fishing, mostly without his shirt on. The Russian president went on a summer break in southern Siberia in the beginning of August.
Although the photos don't exactly embody the conventional breezy summer beach vacation aesthetic, you can see Putin having a pretty good time in the woods, fishing in a mountain lake, heading into the water for spearfishing, kayaking, and ever so delicately examining Siberian flora while sitting on a log. Christopher Brennan, a reporter at New York Daily News, joked that Putin's photos could fit right into a Tinder profile.
Soon after the summer vacation photos of the Russian leader were released, the denizens of Reddit's /r/photoshopbattles subreddit decided to modify one particular photo to the hilarious extreme. The subreddit is completely dedicated to conducting "battles" between users who Photoshop non-manipulated but interesting photos. And "interesting" is just the right word to use to describe Putin's summer vacation clicks.
In this case, /r/photoshopbattles users focused on a photo of a shirtless Putin with his arms wide open. And some of them get pretty darn weird. Here they are, for your enjoyment:
1. Putin & The Charging Bull
Haters will say it's Photoshop.
2. Putin As A Bat
On second thought, I don't even know what that is.
3. Putin, Miley Cyrus, & Aaron Paul
There is so much going on in this one.
4. Dabbin'
This one was inevitable.
5. Putin & Game Of Thrones
Vladimir Putin, first of his name.
6. Magic Putin
Yep.
7. Putin & Chaos?
The creator of this little masterpiece aptly called it "boom."
8. Multi-arm Putin
Not sure what's going on here.
9. Keanu Reeves & Putin
Cheer up, Keanu.
10. Make America Great Again
Photoshop is a wonderful thing.
11. Time Traveler Putin
It almost looks real.
12. Putin With The Pups
Just chilling somewhere in the glorious Midwest.
13. Putin On The Rainbow
Why.
14. Putin In Anime
He could be a new character.
15. Putin In The Air
Four Putins, to be precise.
16. A Dancing Putin
That hat is a nice touch.
17. Putin With Donald Trump
You knew this one was coming, right?
One thing is clear. While Putin seemed to have had a great time out in the Siberian outdoors during his vacation, the internet had an even better time putting its Photoshop skills to the ultimate test.
