A man swims in the icy waters of the Irtysh River on the opening day of the winter swimming season in Omsk, Russia on December 4, 2022. (Photo by Alexey Malgavko/Reuters)





Cadets of a military academy attend the funeral of Dmitry Menshikov, a mercenary for the private Russian military company Wagner Group, killed during the military conflict in Ukraine, in the Alley of Heroes at a cemetery in Saint Petersburg, Russia on December 24, 2022. (Photo by Igor Russak/Reuters)





A woman walks along an ice sculptures alley on display as part of New Year and Christmas decorations in Podolsk, outside Moscow, Russia, 27 December 2022. Russians are preparing to celebrate New Year's Eve on 31 December and Christmas, which is observed on 07 January, according to the Russian Orthodox Julian calendar, 13 days after Christmas on 25 December, on the Gregorian calendar. (Photo by Maxim Shipenkov/EPA/EFE/Rex Features/Shutterstock)





Women look at a mobile phone at a Christmas market on Manezh Square in Moscow, Russia on December 26, 2022. (Photo by Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters)





Women walk with strollers along an ice sculptures alley on display as part of New Year and Christmas decorations in Podolsk, outside Moscow, Russia, 27 December 2022. Russians are preparing to celebrate New Year's Eve on 31 December and Christmas, which is observed on 07 January, according to the Russian Orthodox Julian calendar, 13 days after Christmas on 25 December, on the Gregorian calendar. (Photo by Maxim Shipenkov/EPA/EFE)





Decorations for the New Year and Christmas festivities are reflected in a bus window passing Teatralnaya (Theater) Square in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, December 27, 2022. The temperature in Moscow is around –4 degree Celsius (24.8 degree Fahrenheit). (Photo by Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP Photo)





A man cleans snow in front of an ice sculpture during the festival “Snow and Ice in Moscow” in the park Muzeon in Moscow, 28 December 2022. The ice and snow sculptures up to 7 meters high installed in the park. The main theme of festival is the wonders and heritage of Russia. The festival will run from 28 December 2022 to 28 January 2023. (Photo by Yuri Kochetkov/EPA/EFE)





People walk past a New Year decoration Kremlin Star, bearing a Z letter, a tactical insignia of Russian troops in Ukraine, at the Gorky Park in Moscow on December 29, 2022. (Photo by Alexander Nemenov/AFP Photo)





Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping via a video link at the Kremlin in Moscow on December 30, 2022. Russian leader told his Chinese counterpart on December 30 he was keen to ramp up military cooperation and hailed the two countries' efforts to counter Western influence. (Photo by Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik via AFP Photo)





People walk at Zaryadye Park decorated for the New Year and Christmas festivities with the Kremlin Wall, the Spasskaya Tower, and the St. Basil's Cathedral in the background in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, December 29, 2022. (Photo by Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP Photo)





Employees of Moscow Metro dressed as Father Frosts take part in a Christmas and New Year flash mob for passengers in the Moscow underground on December 30, 2022. (Photo by Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP Photo)





People dressed as Ded Moroz, Grandfather Frost, the Russian Santa Claus, attend an annual flash mob in Moscow's Metro (Subway) in Moscow, Russia, Friday, December 30, 2022. (Photo by Sergei Kiselev, Moscow News Agency photo via AP Photo)





Employees of Moscow Metro dressed as Father Frosts take part in a Christmas and New Year flash mob for passengers in the Moscow underground on December 30, 2022. (Photo by Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP Photo)





Russian President Vladimir Putin poses as he delivers a New Year's address to the nation at the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don on December 31, 2022. (Photo by Sputnik via AFP Photo)





Police and the Rosguardia (National Guard) servicemen walk in the Red Square, closed for celebrations on the New Year's Eve, with the St. Basil's Cathedral, in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, December 31, 2022. (Photo by Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP Photo)





People attend the New Year's Eve celebrations in central Moscow, Russia pn December 31, 2022. (Photo by Tatyana Makeyeva/Reuters)





People dance during New Year's celebrations in downtown St. Petersburg, Russia, early Sunday, Januaru 1, 2023. (Photo by Dmitri Lovetsky/AP Photo)





People take a selfie during New Year's celebrations in downtown St. Petersburg, Russia, early Sunday, Januaru 1, 2023. (Photo by Dmitri Lovetsky/AP Photo)





Riot police officers patrol an avenue during New Year's celebrations in downtown St. Petersburg, Russia, early Sunday, Januaru 1, 2023. (Photo by Dmitri Lovetsky/AP Photo)





Youths celebrate the New Year in the center of Moscow, Russia, Sunday, January 1, 2023. (Photo by AP Photo/Stringer)