SAFETY FIRST: Russian Cops Taking No Chances As People Jump Into Ice Cold Rivers For Epiphany

Russian police were taking no chances this year as thousands of people took to ice-covered rivers to mark Orthodox Epiphany.

Last year the shocking story of Russian lawyer Anna Uskova, 40, who was swept under the ice and died in front of her children, forced a guarantee that more safety measures would be introduced from this year on.

This video shows how a wooden structure has been put in place to stop people from being swept away and police were on hand to offer safety advice.

The event marks Christian Orthodox Epiphany, a tradition followed annually by hundreds of thousands of Russian believers.

People believe that water blessed for the annual ceremony possesses special healing properties.

Some people go into the icy waters on their own, while others often take part in the celebration in groups as they remember the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan.

But a shocking video from last year meant a crackdown on safety was needed after showing the woman jumping feet first into the Oredezh River near Vyra, a village south of St Petersburg, Russia, but not coming back to the surface.

Her two young children screamed as she was pulled away by a powerful current, and her businessman husband Yury, 50, dived in but was unable to rescue her.