President Vladimir Putin hopped into a mini-submarine to explore a shipwreck off the coast of the Crimea peninsula that Moscow seized from Ukraine last year.

On August 18, the Russian president plunged down to a depth of 83 meters seated alongside the pilot in the glass-bubble cabin of the Dutch-made vessel.

“83 meters is a pretty substantial depth,” Vladimir Putin told journalists in televised comments after the dive.

“It was interesting.”

Vladimir Putin 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.

The president said: “It is a galleon that was transporting civilian cargo through the bay of Balaclava.

“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.”

Putin has become known for his eye-catching stunts during his fifteen years in charge of Russia, that have included flying with cranes, riding topless on horseback and darting an endangered tiger.

Vladimir Putin also hopped into another miniature submersible in 2013 to take in a 19th century naval frigate shipwreck on the bed of the Baltic Sea.

The carefully choreographed photo opportunities are designed to buff up the image of Vladimir Putin among ordinary Russians.