Putins Relentless Schedule: No Vacations and Minimal Sleep, Kremlin Confirms

President Vladimir Putin does not take time off and reportedly sleeps for only «a few hours each day,» according to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Monday.

When asked if the president intends to rest on his 73rd birthday on October 7, Peskov responded, «No, he simply cannot take a holiday.»

Putin is set to visit Tajikistan on October 9 for an official meeting with President Emomali Rahmon.

“Honestly, at times it’s difficult for me to grasp where he draws such strength from,” Peskov told the state-run TASS news agency. “He is consistently at the height of his focus. He sleeps just a few hours a night, no exaggeration. I too find it hard to comprehend.”

Putin himself has claimed in the past that he usually gets about six hours of sleep per night, occasionally even less.

His last known vacation was in 2021, when he made two trips to Siberia with then-Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

During that time, the Kremlin shared images of the two hiking in the taiga and fishing. Putin later mentioned that they camped in a tent where “bears came close.”

Since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Putin has not taken a vacation.

Last month, Peskov stated that the president no longer enjoys “full-fledged” breaks, although he occasionally manages to take a few days off. When his schedule permits, he swims in the Black Sea in Sochi, as per the Kremlin.

Putin sometimes goes off the radar. In November 2024, he remained out of public sight for nearly two weeks amidst heightened tensions with the West, following Washington’s approval for Ukraine to use long-range weapons to target locations inside Russia.

During these absences, the Kremlin is believed to create an illusion of activity by releasing footage of pre-recorded meetings.