Putin Strips Down To Marks Baptism Of Jesus Christ

Vladimir Putin has bared his chest again after stripping down to his bathing trunks and going for a dip in a freezing lake.

The half-naked Russian president marked the baptism of Jesus Christ when he bathed in the icy waters in -6C weather.

Putin, 65, marched onto the frozen lake and removed his thick sheepskin coat and felt boots for the cameras.

He then climbed down a set of wooden steps into a hole in the ice, crossed himself and dipped his head under the water as he observed the Orthodox Christian ritual marking the feast of Epiphany.

Putin, who is often seen topless or taking part in 'manly' activities, took part in the ritual at Lake Seliger, about 250 miles north of Moscow, late on Thursday.


Orthodox believers dunk themselves in rivers and lakes every year on Epiphany to commemorate the baptism of Jesus Christ in the River Jordan.

Open displays of religion were considered taboo when Putin was growing up under Communist rule in the Soviet Union.