In front of an ice-sculpted cross, Putin is shown in footage from Russian state television taking off a sheepskin coat to enter the freezing waters and submerging himself three times. The footage was taken in an environment when the air temperature was minus 14 Celsius (6.8 Fahrenheit).
On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin observed an Orthodox Christian ceremony to commemorate the feast of Epiphany by submerging himself in the icy water of a cross-shaped pool outside Moscow, wearing nothing but a pair of blue swimming trunks.
In front of an ice-sculpted cross, Putin is shown in footage from Russian state television taking off a sheepskin coat to enter the freezing waters and submerging himself three times. The footage was taken in an environment when the air temperature was minus 14 Celsius (6.8 Fahrenheit).
Putin, 68, was raised in a communist environment where it was taboo to publicly display one’s faith. As president, Putin has given the church a significant voice in society and has started to regularly attend Russian Orthodox events.
To celebrate Jesus Christ’s baptism in the River Jordan, Orthodox believers immerse themselves in rivers and lakes on Epiphany each year.