On the campaign trail for United Russia, Putin kicks a soccer ball, admires giant halibut, and dons a sailor’s uniform

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been traveling actively around Russia in recent weeks — since the start of summer, he has visited seven regions outside Moscow and St. Petersburg. Before that, he had not left the two capitals and the Novgorod region (where his residence in Valdai is located) for a record seven months. In the regions, Putin is visits major industrial plants and mass events and interacts with the public; state propaganda is covers all of this in great detail. The trips themselves fit neatly into the election campaign of United Russia, which presents itself as the president’s party (and which is experiencing a ratings catastrophe). Here’s what happens in the regions when the president comes to visit.

August 3, Krasnoyarsk. The price of a liter of gasoline in the city falls by 24 rubles just before Putin’s arrival (then returns to its previous level the next day). The president attends the final of Bolshaya Peremena (“Big Change”), where the host introduces him to the stage: “The greatest dream of all the millions of kids — a man, our dear friend, the president of the Russian Federation.” Someone passes Putin a ball. He kicks it back. Applause follows. The ball is sent to a museum.

August 10, Ulan-Ude. Buses across the city are plastered with quotes from Putin, including: “I commend the energy and initiative of the people of Buryatia, and their sincere love for the Motherland.” The president meets with a boy who had “invited” him to Ulan-Ude a week earlier, in Krasnoyarsk: “I’m addressing you as supreme commander in chief: my dream is to become a pilot, please help me get into a Suvorov military school” — “We’ll sort it out.”

August 11, Novosibirsk. Electric scooters are banned from the new asphalt hastily laid in the city center ahead of Putin’s visit. He talks with young scientists: “What threats does artificial intelligence pose to us?” — “Vladimir Vladimirovich, you have nothing to fear!” — “I’ve never been afraid of anything.” On the way to the airport, Putin “spontaneously” stops his motorcade and takes photos with children who had waited there for several hours. Right nearby, a gas station’s price board has been turned off.

August 12, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Putin takes part in Pacific Fleet exercises and weighs in on the day’s news, accusing the European Union of piracy over the seizure of Russian merchant ships and threatening “retaliatory measures.” The president appears in public for the first time in the new uniform of the Navy’s commander in chief. The date marks the 26th anniversary of the sinking of the submarine Kursk. Putin does not mention it.

August 13, Iturup Island. Putin visits the Kuril Islands for the first time. He had avoided the trip previously to keep from antagonizing Japan. At a fish processing plant, the president samples caviar and marvels at the enormous halibut and tuna. He talks with local residents: “What great weather you have here! A resort!” — “We thought you had arranged that, since it happens so rarely.” The governor tells Putin that residents of the region are determined to do everything for victory. “That’s the kind of people we have,” Putin says. “The genetic code of winners.”