The 2025 edition sees the pair in tight black shirts which show off bulging biceps as they pose in Moscow’s Red Square.
In the latest edition of Russia's FSB security service's annual calendar, a muscular Vladimir Putin is seen alongside China's Xi Jinping. The FSB calendars, known for their amusing and often mocked artwork, continue this trend.
The 2025 calendar primarily focuses on Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, similar to the previous two years. This year's cover features an illustration of Putin and Xi, both clad in tight black shirts that accentuate their toned physiques while posing in Moscow's Red Square.
Putin's shirt displays a large "Z," a symbol associated with the pro-war sentiment in Russia. He is also seen sporting an oversized sports watch and appears significantly younger than his actual age.
Xi stands just behind him, dressed more casually in a black polo shirt adorned with a golden dragon and the Chinese flag on one shoulder. Ian Garner, a scholar of Russian society and politics, remarked that the FSB’s depiction of Putin and Xi is ironic. "The FSB has created the most homoerotic calendar of all time. This constitutes illegal LGBTQ+ propaganda in Russia," he stated.
The remainder of the calendar features familiar FSB themes, showcasing battle scenes from Ukraine and anti-Western propaganda. For instance, January's illustration depicts a heroic knight draped in the Russian flag triumphantly defeating a weaker foe adorned with the flags of Ukraine, the EU, Poland, Britain, the US, and LGBTQ+ symbols. In the background, the Capitol building in Washington is engulfed in smoke, a reference to the January 6, 2021, attack by Donald Trump supporters.
October's artwork presents two Russian FSB agents in military attire, strategizing in a wooded area. November’s page features an FSB officer with a covered face waiting at a bus stop in war-ravaged Mariupol, the Ukrainian city devastated and captured by Russia early in the conflict.
The December illustration portrays an FSB officer in full combat gear, rifle slung over his shoulder, gazing up at a luminous image of the Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus, reflecting the pro-Orthodox Church stance of Putin’s administration.
Notably, one soldier displays a patch on his shoulder featuring a handshake that incorporates the colors of both the Chinese and Russian flags, highlighting the deepening alliance between the two nations since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
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