From Russia with Love! Putin sinks to new depths as he gives Bond-style mini-submarine a spin
- Russian president dived to bottom of Gulf of Finland in the Baltic Sea aboard the C-Explorer 3.11 submersible
- He was exploring Soviet Shch-308 submarine, which was sunk in October 1942 after hitting German mine
- The airtight glass bubble of the hi-tech craft protected Mr Putin as he descended smiling beneath the waves
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Russian president Vladimir Putin dived to the bottom of the Gulf of Finland aboard a submersible to explore a Soviet submarine which was sunk during World War Two.
The Shchuka-class submarine Shch-308 sunk in October 1942 near the island of Gogland, west of St Petersburg, the Russian capital.
In scenes which made Mr Putin appear like a villain from a James Bond film, Mr Putin was pictured smiling in the underwater craft, a C-Explorer 3.11 submersible.
Its airtight glass bubble protected Mr Putin, who first became Russian president in 1999 and has continuously ruled the country since 2012.
In one photo, Mr Putin was seen peering out of the open lid of the craft.
In others, the submersible floated on top of the water as the Russian president peered out.
The hull of the sunken submarine was discovered in September 2018 lying on the seabed north of Bolshoi Tyuters Island.
It is thought to have been sunk after hitting a German mine and all of the 40-man crew were killed.
Russian president Vladimir Putin dived to the bottom of the Gulf of Finland aboard a submersible to explore a Soviet submarine which was sunk during World War Two
The Shchuka-class submarine Shch-308 sunk in October 1942 near the island of Gogland, west of St Petersburg, the Russian capital
In scenes which made Mr Putin appear like a villain from a James Bond film, Mr Putin was pictured smiling in the underwater craft, a C-Explorer 3.11 submersibl
The hull of the sunken submarine (pictured) was discovered in September 2018 lying on the seabed north of Bolshoi Tyuters Island in the Baltic Sea
In one photo, Mr Putin was seen peering out of the open lid of the hi-tech craft, which would have looked at home in a James Bond film
The craft descends beneath the waves in the Gulf of Finland in the Baltic Sea to inspect the sunken Soviet submarine Shch-308. It is thought to have sunk after hitting a German mine in 1942
I’ll see you when I get back: Mr Putin waves to onlookers as he descends beneath the waves accompanied by two aides