When the Soviet Union occupied eastern Europe from 1945 to 1989, its Marxist ideology mitigated against religious celebrations. Great effort was expended in trying to secularize Christmas and its magical gift-bringers. Out went the Christ Child, Saint Nicholas and angels and in came Grandfather Frost, known in Russian as Ded Moroz. In the image above from 1963, he is hailing the Soviet space program.
When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 and Communism receded, Ded Moroz vanished and was joyfully replaced by the traditional Christmas figures. He lingers in Russia where he serves as the local Santa.
Snegurochka, or the Snow Maiden, is a figure from Russian fairy tale lore who was pressed into service as a companion to Ded Moroz, or Grandfather Frost, during the Soviet years. She survived the fall of Communism and still remains at the side of the Russian version of Santa Claus.