Ukraine War Reroutes Santa's Journey Through Russia

Russia's Santa Claus train will be skipping some stops in the country this holiday season amid the ongoing war which began after President Vladimir Putin invaded neighboring Ukraine.

The project, launched by state-owned Russian Railways last year, sees Ded Moroz, the Russian Santa, also known as "Father Frost," complete his journey on a train through cities in Russia, traveling thousands of kilometers to meet children nationwide.

But this year, the Ukraine war appears to have rerouted his journey through Russia—cities including Kursk and Belgorod, which are located near Russia's border with Ukraine, have been excluded from Santa's list.

Santa's train, also known as Poezd Deda Moroza, is festively decorated and includes a reception lounge, carriages specifically for games and quests, a restaurant carriage and a shop carriage where souvenirs can be purchased, according to Russia's state-run news agency TASS.

This year, the train departed on October 22 from the town of Veliky Ustyug in Russia's Vologda region. It will pass more than 130 Russian cities and travel over 33,000 kilometers (20,505 miles) for a total of 85 days, returning to its point of departure on January 15, 2023.

"There are a lot of small towns on the route of the Santa Claus Train, whose residents are also looking forward to the winter wizard. Therefore, when developing the train schedule, Santa Claus and I decided to make stops not only in large but also in small towns and settlements," said Dmitry Pegov, the deputy general director of Russian Railways.

Russian independent news outlet SOTA reported that this year Ded Moroz will not be visiting Russia's front-line regions, nor will he be making stops in the Ukrainian regions that Putin illegally annexed in September: Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia.

Visits to Belgorod and Kursk were initially planned as part of the project, but the cities suddenly disappeared from the list, according to SOTA.

Britain's Defense Ministry said earlier this month that Russia has started to expand its defense along its border with Ukraine amid apparent fears of invasion.

It said Russian troops are digging elaborate trenches systems in Belgorod, while the region's governor has announced that is establishing local "self-defense units."

"Trench digging has been reported in Belgorod since at least April 2022, but the new constructions are probably more elaborate systems, designed to rebuff mechanized assault," the ministry said in its daily intelligence update on the war in Ukraine on December 7.

The ministry also said there is a real possibility that the Russian authorities are promoting defensive preparations within internationally recognized Russian territory to "burnish patriotic feeling."

"However, it probably illustrates some Russia decision-makers' genuine (but false) belief that there is a credible threat of invasion by Ukrainian forces," it said.

Newsweek reached out to Russia's Foreign Ministry for comment.

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