Russian President Putin celebrated his 70th birthday on Friday. Only a handful of world leaders congratulated him, but a few even gave him a real gift. Also on the Ukrainian side, the birthday of the Russian president does not pass without a struggle.

To celebrate his 70th birthday, Putin held "an informal meeting" with some former Soviet leaders, including Armenia, Uzbekistan, Belarus and Tajikistan, in St. Petersburg on Friday. The last two also brought presents. For example, Putin received a voucher for a tractor from Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan gave him a mountain of watermelons and pumpkins. The Russian leader also received calls from Cuba, Turkey, South Africa, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, among others. And even Kim Jong-un of North Korea sent Putin birthday wishes.

Domestically, the president was praised by state media, schools celebrated and Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church called for prayers to mark Putin's birthday. "God has placed you at the helm of power so that you can render a very important and responsible service to the future of the country and people entrusted to you," the head of the Russian Church said in a congratulatory telegram to the president.