For the first time in recent years, President Vladimir Putin attended the Christmas service held in the Kremlin Cathedral, instead of joining the faithful, for the first time in recent years, the Russian press notes, Reuters informs.
The Russian news agency RIA reported that this is the first time in recent years that Putin is celebrating Christmas in Moscow and not in the region around the capital.
State television broadcast two live clips of President Putin in the Annunciation Cathedral, as priests celebrated the Holy Liturgy at midnight.
Vladimir Putin, dressed in a blue coat and white turtleneck, was the only person present at the service.
He was shown making the cross several times before the telecast was interrupted to show viewers the service at Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Saviour.
The head of the Russian state, who last year celebrated Easter in the cathedral with thousands of believers, last year also attended the Christmas liturgy alone, but already at his official residence in Novo-Ogaryovo near Moscow. In 2021, Vladimir Putin attended a public liturgy in Novgorod.
The Russian Orthodox Church supports the war in Ukraine, Reuters reminds.
Patriarch Kirill I of Moscow asked on Thursday both sides involved in the war in Ukraine to observe the 36-hour Christmas truce announced by President Putin. (Source Agerpres)
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Source: Hot News
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