Vladimir Putin took part in an annual Russian Orthodox custom by wading through the frigid waters of a frozen lake today, a few hundred miles north of Moscow. State media looked on, Reuters reports, at his celebration of the Epiphany.
While the Russian president hasn’t made a habit of doing this ritual publicly in the past, the Washington Post notes that in an election year where approval of Putin’s government has hit record lows, his best option is to play the hits. In Putin’s case, that’s religiosity intertwined with statecraft, and outdoorsy, bare-chested feats of strength.
