Behold, the bizzare 2017 Vladimir Putin calendar

While strange things may be afoot in Russia, nothing can stop a now-annual tradition: the Vladimir Putin calendar.

The 2017 edition of the Russian president's calendar has hit kiosks across Moscow. And it doesn't disappoint if you're looking for "candid" shots of Putin.

The BBC's Steve Rosenberg shared a video of himself leafing through the calendar, which reveals Putin lounging in a tree, Putin in flight gear, and, of course, Putin on horseback.

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Oh, and did I mention Putin and a kitten?

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The calendar was put out by magazine Zvezdi I Soveti (which, according to CNN, translates to Stars and Advice) and each photo comes paired with a quote from the Russian leader extolling certain virtues, like, I suppose, his love of kittens.

Of course, this wouldn't be a Putin event without a bit of subterfuge. The photo of Putin in scuba gear, featured in the embedded tweet above, actually comes from a completely staged event five years ago when archaeologists planted two Greek urns on the floor of the Black Sea for Putin, then the prime minister, to "find" while on a scuba-diving expedition.

At the time, Putin's spokesman, Dimitry Pterov, told the media, following skepticism over the find, "Look – Putin didn't find down there jugs that had lain there for many thousands of years. It's obvious."

Last year's edition of the Putin calendar sold out all 200,000 copies pretty quickly, according to CNN.