Russian President Putin attends Easter service at Christ the Savior Cathedral

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived at the Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow at almost a midnight on Saturday to attend the Easter service, Azernews reports.

The service has been conducted by Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill. Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin attended the service together with Putin. The President and Patriarch Kirill exchanged Easter gifts.

In 2020, for the first time during his presidency, Putin skipped Easter service due to the coronavirus pandemic and lit a candle in the chapel at his Novo-Ogaryovo residence.

Easter is the central holiday of the entire Christian world commemorating a key moment in the history of Christianity — Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead. The Russian Orthodox Church determines the date based on solar and lunar calendars.