Russia planning celebrations for Vladimir Putin's 60th birthday The Russian president is to be feted across the country on Sunday as he reaches his 60th birthday after a turbulent year. Mr Putin returned for his third stint in the Kremlin in May after serving four years as prime minister. That followed several months of street demonstrations over allegedly rigged elections and his authoritarian style of government. State television is expected to mark his birthday with a fawning documentary about the president, who has been at the helm of the country since December 31st 1999. Celebrations will be held across all nine time zones. Residents of Chelyabinsk, in the Urals, have organised an oversized birthday card on which well-wishers can write a message. In Rostov on Don, pro-Kremlin youth activists will stretch a huge banner along the Voroshilov Bridge - which is said to join Europe and Asia - "so that the president's birthday congratulation connects two sections of the planet." There were signs on Friday that the authorities have tried to dampen embarrassingly sycophantic festivities. Putin fans who formed a "National 60 Committee" in St Petersburg had planned a march around hallowed places of the president's early life and political career, including a sports hall where he practised judo. Organisers said they had replaced the march with a concert. An artist in the city is presenting an exhibition named "The President: A Kind-hearted Soul." One picture features the leader kissing his Bulgarian sheepdog, Buffy. Mr Putin's opponents will not be letting the day go unmarked. They plan a gathering in front of the presidential administration in Moscow called "See Grandpa Off On His Pension." The organisers suggested bringing retirement gifts for the long-serving leader such as "a radio, a hosepipe for watering the vegetable patch or some Viagra tablets." Mr Putin's spokesman said he would be spending the day with his family.