Putin to Fly With Flock of Cranes

Russian President Vladimir Putin will strap into a motorized glider and lead a group of endangered cranes as they begin their winter migration in a publicity stunt that can only be termed bizarre. He’ll be joining a group of scientists who use gliders to help the Siberian cranes born in captivity on the first leg of their migratory journey. “The president will get to try himself in the role of the leader of a flock of cranes that were raised in captivity,” one Russian newspaper said. Putin is known for being something of an outdoorsman–when it suits his publicity purposes–and once wrote that he enjoys “events involving the participation of fauna.”