Overview
- Across Russia on January 19, large crowds observed the Orthodox Feast of the Baptism of the Lord with traditional cold-water immersion.
- Participants entered water through holes cut in the ice on frozen seas and lakes despite severe winter conditions.
- Agency photographs from Moscow showed men, including fathers holding children, taking part in the ritual.
- Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the 73-year-old president went into the cold water and described the rite as important for Orthodox staff at the Kremlin, while withholding further details as private.
- Reports and images were distributed by TASS and carried via Kyodo to regional Japanese newspapers including Hokkaido Shimbun and Nishinippon Shimbun.