Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a ceasefire in Ukraine amidst the ongoing war over the period of Orthodox Christmas. The Orthodox Christmas is celebrated on the 7th of January and is widely celebrated in both countries currently at war. The ceasefire will be observed on the 6th and the 7th of January.
This is the first ceasefire ordered by the Russian president since the Russian offensive against Ukraine began in February 2022. Russia’s Orthodox leader Patriarch Kirill had made a request to cease the hostilities during the festive period. The ceasefire order was shared by the Kremlin earlier today.
In his order, President Putin said, “Taking into account the appeal of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, I instruct the Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation to introduce a ceasefire regime along the entire line of contact of the parties in Ukraine from 12.00 on January 6, 2023 to 24.00 on January 7, 2023.”
The order further said, ““Given the fact that a large number of citizens professing Orthodoxy live in the areas of combat, we call on the Ukrainian side to declare a ceasefire and give them the opportunity to attend church services on Christmas Eve, as well as on the Day of the Nativity of Christ.”
Ukraine had dismissed the plea by Patriarch Kirill earlier but is yet to react to the news of Putin’s ceasefire.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine started on February 24 last year as part of a special military operation. Russia occupies large areas in the east and south of Ukraine since then. The conflict has seen large-scale casualties in both countries and led to the largest refugee crisis in the continent since the second world war.
