MOSCOW, October 4. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to celebrate his birthday on October 7 in the great outdoors with his family and close friends, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

"He will spend it [his birthday] in the country. With relatives and close friends," Peskov revealed.

This year Putin turns 67. Previously, he seldom managed to celebrate his birthday which falls on October 7, without any sort of work-related events surfacing, including public ones. In 2017, this date fell on a Saturday and Putin chaired a meeting of the permanent members of the Security Council in Sochi. Traditionally, he holds quite a few phone calls with foreign leaders and receives birthday greetings. Peskov said that these conversations usually involve discussions on "substantive issues," so these talks are part and parcel of Putin’s work schedule.

In 2016, the head of state had no public events on his birthday. In the previous year, on October 7 he took to the rink for a Night Ice Hockey League match, and in 2014 he had an official day off and flew to Siberia to spend his birthday hiking in a dense Siberian forest. On several of his birthdays, he was present at major international events.

Peskov said that in general the Russian leader most often celebrates his birthday in the company of his family and friends, and sometimes, with his colleagues.