In the folklore of the Udege and Nanai peoples of Siberia, the tiger is not just an animal but a deity known as Amba, the "Master of the Taiga".
The Taboo:
It is strictly forbidden to kill or even disrespect a tiger. Indigenous
hunters believe that any person who harms or dishonors the tiger will
be sentenced to severe bad luck or "blood revenge".
The Hubris of the Staged Hunt:
By sedating tigers for photo ops—actions experts say caused actual harm
to the animals—Putin did more than stage a PR stunt; in the eyes of
traditional practitioners, he committed a grave violation of the "spirit
of the taiga".
Putin’s Rebranding as the "Tiger" (2025–2026)
In late 2025, Putin escalated his use of tiger symbolism to signal Russia's geopolitical pivot toward Asia:
The "Tiger" Metaphor: At the 2025 Eastern Economic Forum, Putin explicitly shifted Russia's symbolic animal from the traditional bear to the Siberian tiger. President Vladimir Putin made these remarks on September 5, 2025, during the plenary session of the 10th Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok.
Putin acknowledged that the bear
is the traditional symbol of Russia. However, he quipped that since the
forum was taking place in the Russian Far East, it was also appropriate
to mention the Ussuri (Siberian) tiger, which is the largest in the world and native to that region.
Asare (Sare/Osiris/Caesar) > Usuri
Geopolitical Aliance:
He linked this to a "Tiger-Dragon-Elephant" alliance with China (the
dragon) and India (the elephant), positioning himself as the "Top
Predator" of the Far East.
The Hubris of Ownership:
He famously stated in September 2025 that "the world's largest tiger is
Russian," a claim that many see as the ultimate expression of his hubris —claiming "ownership" over a sacred, wild force
While discussing the Russia-India-China (RIC) trilateral ties — where Xi Jinping had popularized the "dragon and elephant dance" metaphor for China and India, with the "bear" later added for Russia by the media — Putin humorously suggested a tiger might better suit Russia's Far East identity. He noted: "The bear is, of course, a symbol of Russia, but we are here — the Far East, and the biggest tiger in the world is the local breed here," referring to the Amur/Siberian/Ussuri tiger as a "Russian tiger."
Fun fact: Upon seeing the globe when I was little—without knowing the association of Russia with a bear—I thought Russia looked like a bear on the map (a bear attacking and wishing to devour Europe).
Interesting connections, considering his first born's name (Maria).
