Putin celebrated Christmas at a church in his Novo-Ogaryovo residence together with the families of Russian militants who were eliminated during the aggression against Ukraine.
According to the BBC, Putin mentioned the 'special operation' in Ukraine in his Christmas greeting and praised the churches for 'supporting heroes' - the deceased occupiers and residents of the occupied territories.
"Deep and sincere respect deserves the efforts of religious organizations aimed at supporting our heroes - participants of the special military operation, residents of Donbas and Novorossiya," he said.
During the meeting, Putin promised that the 'colleagues will always be there' for the families of the deceased.