The Russian President, Vladimir Putin is well-known for making news with his photographs that present him in ‘heroic’ light. The 65-year-old is well-known for taking off his shirt for photo-ops that show-off his chiseled physique to the world.
In a shoot in 2009, the President had taken off his shirt on horseback that had broken the Internet and given birth to a million memes likening the Russian Prez to the Roman God, Hercules who was renowned for his strength.
This time the ex-KGB is set to breaking the Internet once more with his bare-torso after taking bath in the icy waters of Lake Seliger in northwest Russia to celebrate the Feast of Epiphany.
The religious ceremony is a part of a traditional Orthodox Christian ritual which commemorates the Baptism of Jesus Christ.
The Russian President stripped to his swimming trunks in freezing temperatures before immersing himself in icy waters of the lake which is around 250 miles north of Moscow.
The 65-year-old lowered himself into the water, made a sign of the Cross and submerged himself for a moment. The scene was captured by the Russian state media.
The temperature was about 21 degrees Fahrenheit or – 6.1 degrees Celsius, his office reported.
Russians observe the feast of the Epiphany on Jan 19 and not on Jan 6 as done by the rest of the Western world. It was reported that this is not the first time Putin has taken part in the Epiphany ceremony. However, it is the first publicly viewed occurrence.