Brits will be enjoying a long weekend in June thanks to the Queens Diamond Jubilee. And the extra long bank holiday break has caught on, Russia will also be getting a long weekend, thanks to in-coming president Vladimir Putin, to do gardening.
The ‘national staycation’ in Russia will take place from May 6th to May 9th, over Russia’s World War Two Victory Day, which is on May 9th.
Mr Putin’s inauguration falls on May 7th over the weekend ‘staycation’.
‘Many people want more holidays at this time, so that people could go to their allotments, their gardens,’ Mr Putin said, according to the government website.
Less in line with a focus on leisure time, Mr Putin adds: ‘I ask that production work (in heavy industry) is streamlined accordingly.’
The current prime minister recently won a return to the Russian presidency for a six-year term. But the election has been surrounded by controversy, with accusations that the election was slanted in his favour.
The opposition has said they will not recognise the results, in which Putin gained over 63 per cent of the vote.
Russia have been urged to launch an investigation by the European Union and the US over accusations of fraud in the voting system.
The result has seen many Russians protesting the election in demonstrations and large rallies have been organsied in Moscow.
