At the Russian Geographical Society annual awards ceremony, President Vladimir Putin shared a story of his travels in the wilderness and how he once encountered bears.

Axar.az reports citing Sputnik, while presenting the award winner in one of the nominations, President Putin thanked nominees, and all those who "participate in a wide and very important work for the country — a knowledge of ourselves."

He noted that such work is very exciting and allows Russians to understand "who we are, where we are from and where we are going."

Vladimir Putin is a big fan of healthy, active recreation. The Russian president uses his rare free weekends to go on nature trips. One of Putin's most popular holiday destinations is Southern Siberia, particularly Tuva, Altai and Khakassia.