Russian "Santa Claus" avoids the border with Ukraine during his train tour

Russian authorities have decided that "Father Frost", the Russian version of Santa Claus, will avoid borders with Ukraine and annexed territories on his train tour through Russia this year.

Father Frost will pass more than 70 stations between the eastern port city of Vladivostok and St. Petersburg, according to the schedule provided by Russian Railways on Monday.

It is worth noting that the western regions of Krasnodar, Rostov-on-Don, Belgorod, Kursk, and Bryansk, which border Ukraine, were not included in the schedule, and the territories of Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson, annexed by Russia, were also not included.

It is noteworthy that the Father Frost train is a tourism project launched by the Russian Railways company with the Vologda region in northern Russia last year.

According to a Russian Christmas legend, Father Frost does not live at the North Pole, but rather near the small town of Veliky Ustyug in Vologda.

Father Frost began his tour this year in October, to reach all his stops by mid-January.

Because of the war in Ukraine, many Russian cities have reduced their winter celebrations.

However, in order to maintain a semblance of normalcy, city and regional administrations across the country are holding New Year celebrations, at least on a smaller scale.

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