Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a ceasefire in Ukraine over Orthodox Christmas, the Kremlin said on Thursday.
Russian troops must contain fire for 36 hours from 12:00 on January 6, the Kremlin said.
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Many Orthodox Christians, including those living in Russia and Ukraine, celebrate Christmas on January 6 and 7.
Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, on Thursday called on both sides of the war in Ukraine to observe a Christmas truce, a move Kyiv dismissed as a cynical trap.
“Taking into account the appeal of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, I order the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation to introduce a ceasefire regime along the entire line of contact of the parties in Ukraine from 12:00 on 6 January 7, 2023 until midnight on January 7, 2023,” Putin said in the order.
“Based on the fact that a large number of citizens professing Orthodoxy live in the areas of hostilities, we call on the Ukrainian side to declare a ceasefire and allow them to attend services on Christmas Eve, as well as the Christmas Day,” Putin said. .
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(Reuters reporting; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel/Guy Faulconbridge)
