Putin Meets Up Close at Long Table With Female Fight Crews

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday was photographed during a meeting with female flight crew at a long table sitting shoulder-to-shoulder.

The photo-op comes as Putin has been mocked in the West for photographs showing him at the end of a long table seated alone while advisers sit far away at the other end, prompting speculation he fears assassination.

Some oligarchs and everyday Russians have criticized him for the invasion of Ukraine that has brought on crippling sanctions from the West.