Russian President Vladimir Putin is taking an ice bath to mark Epiphany

by

In the filming, the 68-year-old is seen coming out of a log cabin wearing a long sheepskin coat, undressing and diving three times into a cross-shaped pool, crowned with a statue of crucifixion carved in ice.

Temperatures in the Moscow region have been around -20 degrees Celsius (-4 degrees Fahrenheit) in the last week.

Celebrated on January 19, the Day of Baptism commemorates the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River. At Epiphany, the water is considered holy and many people in Russia and Eastern Europe take a bath as a sign of their Orthodox Christian faith.

Why Putin wants to keep Navalny locked up

It is believed that tradition brings good health, strengthens the immune system and washes away sins.

Putin’s photo comes as Russia works to step up vaccination efforts and control its coronavirus outbreak, and days after its political rival Alexei Navalny was arrested on his return to Moscow.

Putin’s blue swimming trunks in the footage were seen on Russian social networks, given their resemblance to the missing blue underwear, allegedly used to poison Navalny with nerve agent Novichok last year.

Navalny told CNN he was sure Putin knew of a shadowing operation carried out by elite agents before he was poisoned. The Kremlin has previously denied any involvement in Navalny’s poisoning.
Putin’s frozen dive is not the first time he has undressed in public. In 2018, he bathed in the icy waters of Lake Seliger to mark Epiphany. He was also photographed topless while fishing in 2017 and bare-chested while riding a horse on vacation in 2009.

.Source