Putin takes control of a research submarine in the Black Sea in latest bizarre stunt

In his latest eye-catching stunt, he took the mini-submarine on a stroll to the bottom of the Black Sea to inspect an ancient shipwreck.

On Tuesday, the Russian president explored the remains of a Byzantine trading ship which dated back to the 10th Century.

His head could be seen poking from the submersible vessel's glass dome structure before he took it 83m below the water off the coast of the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia seized from Ukraine last year.

Speaking over the radio while still underwater, Putin said he hoped the discovery would shed light on Russia's 'historical development'. 

'83m is a pretty substantial depth... It was interesting,' Putin told journalists in televised comments after the dive.

Regarding the shipwreck, which was discovered off the coast of Sevastopol by Russian divers this year, Putin said: 'It is still to be investigated by experts. 

'I have to say that there are not that many similar remains like this in the north of the Black Sea.'

The Kremlin strongman went underwater to view the Byzantine-era wreckage in the Black Sea off Crimea that included a trove of 10th century pottery.

The remains were discovered off the coast of Sevastopol by Russian divers earlier this year.

'It is a galleon that was transporting civilian cargo through the bay of Balaclava,' Putin said.

'It is still to be investigated by experts. I have to say that there are not that many similar remains like this in the north of the Black Sea.'

In 2009, he dove down around 1,400m to the bottom of the world's deepest lake, Baikal, in another mini-submarine.  

The carefully choreographed photo opportunities are designed to buff up the image of the Russian leader as an 'Action Man'.

Putin's popularity reached an all-time high in recent months. Approval ratings were just under 90 per cent as Russian state-run media has intensified his promotion since the seizure of Crimea in February 2014.

But not all of his bizarre adventures have turned out to be success. In staged scuba dive in 2011, he apparently found two ancient amphorae off the Russian coast close to Crimea, but it turned out the urns had been placed there for him to find.

He has also brought up ancient Greek pottery shards that his spokesman later admitted had been planted.

(dailymail.co.uk)