Vladmir Putin had been known to go topless when riding a horse or hunting with a rifle
The Russian president has taken a dip in freezing water to mark Epiphany, a major holiday in Orthodox Christianity.
Mr Putin, 65, cast off a sheepskin coat and felt boots to take the plunge in a hole cut from the ice at Lake Seliger in Tver region.
The president approached the water in a sheepskin coat and felt boots
This was the first time that Mr Putin participate in the Epiphany dip in public. His office said he had taken part in private before.
Political opponents want us to believe that the new display of flesh could not be unconnected to the forthcoming presidential election on March 18.
The president has effectively been in power since 2000. He seeks a fourth term with no credible challenger taking part. In the run-up to past elections, macho stunts have been a common part of his repertoire.
Mr Putin took part in the ceremony last night after attending a service at the St Nilus Stolobensky Monastery to mark the Feast of Epiphany. He got changed in a tent and then advanced across a path of straw laid on the ice towards the hole.
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