MOSCOW, May 2. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived at the Easter service at the Christ the Savior Cathedral.

The solemn Easter divine service is led by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. The Russian head of state arrived at the cathedral around midnight. The Easter service at Russia’s main cathedral is also attended by Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin.

The Russian president traditionally attends services during high church holidays. He usually celebrates Christmas at churches outside Moscow, while on Easter the head of state usually attends a service at the Christ the Savior Cathedral. Only twice he participated in Easter festivities outside Moscow - in 2000, at St. Petersburg’s St. Isaac’s Cathedral and in 2003, he attended a service at the St. Nicholas Cathedral in Dushanbe while on a visit to Tajikistan. Last year, for the first time during his presidency, Putin skipped the Easter service due to the coronavirus pandemic and lit a candle in a small chapel at his Novo-Ogaryovo residence.

Easter is the main holiday of the entire Christian world commemorating a key moment in the history of Christianity - the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The Russian Orthodox Church determines the date based on solar and lunar calendars. In 2021, it falls on May 2.