Siberia keeps it real. You could take this guy straight onto the set of the Thor movie and he'd still look impressive.

Oh man, you're right. Totally looks like a super villain. I love his coat!

He doesn't look like a super villain exactly. What I'd say is that he looks very overtly magical, in every sense of the word.

Not to go off on a weird tangent, but as you know I am Korean and distantly related to this culture -- especially the deep legacy of shamanism. Our art for many centuries involved worshipful representations of nature, especially animals and trees. Horns, branches, the sun, and snow/ice are all artistically represented in that costume... as is the awful majesty of winter in the north woods generally.

Santa Claus came from the other end of the vast northern forest, and you can see some of the same elements in very very much watered down form -- the reindeer, the beard, the fur trim on his costume. It's just so much more tapped into ancient tradition in the Siberian version.

You're right -- he is more magical than diabolical.

Thank you for the Korean perspective -- you made me see things in this photo I would not otherwise have seen. The connection to nature is so seamless that I barely noticed it till now.

I do see a lot of the same elements as Santa Claus.

I'm going to search for more photos.

Sometimes Ded Moroz dresses in red, and often he has a woman companion.

Doesn't she look like Elsa?!?!

He Ded?

Yes she looks like Elsa and yes his name is Ded!

I found a big version of the original photo:

http://yotesgurl.wordpress.com/2010/12/06/dear-santa/

Majestic as fuck!

Ded beard can get even more majestic:

(mic drop)

Joyce, I want to get that friggin' overcoat/magic cape whatsy gorgeous thingy he's wearing... AWESOME!  And I don't care that I'm living in Austin TX cause I WILL rock it out on the town... makes me want to go to Siberia too – who knew!

Perhaps a magic wand to go with it?