UPDATE - Putin Attends Overnight Orthodox Christmas Service At Transfiguration Cathedral

ST. PETERSBURG (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 07th January, 2020) Russian President Vladimir Putin has attended an overnight Orthodox Christmas service at the Cathedral of the Lord's Transfiguration of all the Guards.

Putin arrived at the Transfiguration Cathedral in St. Petersburg late on Monday, at around midnight. The overnight Christmas service lasted over one and a half hours.

After the service, the Russian leader presented the Theotokos of Tikhvin icon as a gift to the Transfiguration Cathedral.

"I wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year, to be healthy and be happy," Putin said before his departure, addressing all those present at the Cathedral in the early hours of Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and his wife Svetlana are attending the overnight Christmas service at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow. The service is led by Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill.

Orthodox Christians in Russia celebrate Christmas Day on January 7.

Three fourths of all Russians and about 40 percent of Russian atheists plan to celebrate Orthodox Christmas on Tuesday, according to data from the Russian Public Opinion Research Center.