No large-scale celebrations as Putin marks 70th birthday amid Ukraine war

MOSCOW – Vladimir Putin, the longest-serving leader of Russia since Josef Stalin, has turned 70 amid fawning felicitations Putin, however, there is no large-scale festivities amid Kremlin invasion in Ukraine that plunged country into economic and international isolation.

Putin’s 70th birthday is quite different from previous years as he was spotted on foreign trips or playing in a celebrity hockey game to mark his special day.

This time Putin, who rose to the Kremlin's top job on the last day of 1999, will spend his birthday at work, attending a meeting in the Russian port city of St. Petersburg.

Some reports suggest that Moscow is suffering several blows in the battlefield at the hands of the Ukrainian army, saying Russian leadership is facing the biggest challenge after confronting the West.

As Putin's earned wrath from several fronts, his allies heaped praise on him and send gifts. Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov also announced major events, including an opening ceremony for a judo training center named after Putin, a known martial arts fan.

Putin also made headlines as he was gifted a tractor by the Belarusian president. Tajikistan’s leader presented him with a pile of watermelons.

His two-decade rule has seen Moscow move toward greater authoritarianism, but this trend has accelerated rapidly in recent times.

On the other hand, his birthday was marked with condemnation of him as social media denounced his moves and urged supporters to make a donation to provide weapons to the Ukrainian military.