The 2025 calendar for Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) features Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Putin As Muscular
According to URA pictures of this has circulated on X (formerly Twitter) with British media describing Putin’s depiction as a “muscular heartthrob.”
The calendar’s cover shows Putin in a black leather vest and a “Z” emblem T-shirt, a symbol of Russia’s military operations.
He is standing alongside Xi against Moscow’s Red Square.
The FSB is Russia’s primary domestic intelligence agency. It is often seen as the successor to the Soviet-era KGB, responsible for counterterrorism, border security, and domestic intelligence.
A Close Alliance
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, China has provided significant, though indirect, support to Moscow.
Russia has redirected much of its energy exports toward China, and Beijing has taken advantage of this shift by purchasing Russian oil and gas at discounted rates.
Trade between the two countries reached record levels in 2023, with China supplying Russia with critical goods that Western sanctions have restricted.
The image of Putin and Xi side by side on the FSB calendar is an attempt to signal a strong, unified front between Russia and China.
This portrayal of both leaders as resilient and powerful figures is trying to reinforce the message of solidarity between the two nations.
