He was said to sleep until mid-morning, before breakfast at about noon to prepare him for a hefty workout schedule.
In his 2013 profile of the president, “Fragile Empire: How Russia Fell in and Out of Love with Vladimir Putin”, author Ben Judah said he normally started the day with a sizeable omelette or bowl of porridge, with a side helping of cottage cheese and quail eggs.
Author Steven Lee Myers claims Putin then drank a fresh juice containing organic beetroot and horseradish, sourced from the farmland estates of the Patriarch Kirill, the country’s religious leader.
A coffee followed before Putin took a two-hour swim, which author Judah claimed was where the ex-KGB officer got “much of Russia’s thinking done”.
He concluded his workout by lifting weights, while watching rolling news coverage.
According to Myers, Putin is mostly alone during this time. “His closest companion seemed to be his black Labrador, Koni, who waited poolside as he completed his laps,” he wrote.
In the early afternoon, Putin reportedly received daily briefings, including international and Russian news.
Though Putin started his day quite late in comparison to most global leaders, he is said to have worked late into the early hours.
And at weekends, Putin would read extensively, and apparently try to play ice hockey as possible.
During overseas trips, everything he used would be replaced over security fears, including bedsheets and toiletries.
Putin is known to only accept food that has been tested for poison, and according to Politico avoids alcohol.
