Russian president starts weeklong vacation

MOSCOW, August 4 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev started a week's vacation on Monday, his press secretary said.

"Dmitry Medvedev is expected to visit cities on the Volga during a working leave until the end of the week," Natalya Timakova told journalists. "In some of them, the president will hold work meetings and conferences."

The president will make his Volga trip on the government riverboat "Rossiya," which has been available to senior state officials since 1973.

This is the first vacation Medvedev has taken as Russian president. He was elected March 2.