Russian President Vladimir Putin has spent time in the taiga, the dense forests of Siberia, ahead of his birthday on 7 October, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media.
“The president has been to Siberia, the taiga. He has enjoyed the nature and autumn forest”, he said, noting that photos from his Siberian trip to the wilderness will be published at midnight on Putin’s birthday.
Peskov pointed out that the Russian commander-in-chief, who is turning 67, will spend the day "with relatives and friends outdoors”.
This is in contrast with his previous birthdays, which he has preferred to spend with his former or acting counterparts.
Last year, former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was one of those invited to the Russian leader’s birthday. The former Italian PM even posted a photograph on his Facebook page, saying that he was flying "to my friend Vladimir Putin".
In 2017, Putin said that he had celebrated his birthday with Chinese President Xi Jinping, "drinking vodka and eating sausages". The two heads of state are known to have very good relations and earlier in 2019, the Russian president even presented Xi with ice cream, which he likes a lot, media reported.