New Delhi: The Kremlin announced on Thursday that a cease-fire in Ukraine has been ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin in celebration of Orthodox Christmas, reported news agency Reuters. The Kremlin stated that Russian troops must maintain fire for 36 hours starting at 1200 on January 6.
On January 6 and 7, many Orthodox Christians, including those in Russia and Ukraine, celebrate Christmas.
The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, called for both sides in the Ukraine conflict to observe a Christmas truce on Thursday. Kyiv criticized the move as a cynical trap.
“Taking into account the appeal of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, I instruct 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 January 6, 2023 to 24.00 on January 7, 2023,” Putin said in the order.
“Proceeding from 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 on Christmas Day,” Putin said.
From noon on Friday until midnight on Saturday, Kirill suggested a truce. Christmas is observed on January 7 in the Russian Orthodox Church, which adheres to the ancient Julian calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar. However, some Christians in Ukraine observe the holiday on the same day.
Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the Ukrainian president, called Kirill’s call “a cynical trap and an element of propaganda.” Prior to December 25, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had made a withdrawal of Russian troops proposal that Russia rejected.
Also Read: Delhi Feels Tremors As 5.9 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Afghanistan