Putin Observes Orthodox Christmas Alone

The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, stood alone at a midnight service as he marked Orthodox Christmas at a Kremlin Church.

The Russian Orthodox Church usually observes Christmas on January 7. The celebration held at the Cathedral of the Annunciation -a church originally designed for the Russian tsars- had Putin standing alone as Orthodox priests in golden robes conducted the ceremony.

According to AFP, Putin congratulated Orthodox Christians in a message which was released by the Kremlin on Saturday.

Putin, who said that the holiday inspired “good deeds and aspirations”, praised the Orthodox Church, whose influential head, Kirill, has fully backed Putin’s offensive in Ukraine.