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 them...