Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday ordered a 36-hour cease-fire in Ukraine from noon January 6 to midnight on January 7, the same time as Orthodox Christmas.
The Kremlin said Putin was influenced by Russian Orthodox leader Patriarch Kiril in making the decision.
"Taking into account the appeal of His Holiness Patriach Kirill, I instruct the defense minister of the Russian Federation to introduce from 12:00 (0900 GMT) on January 6, 2023 until 24:00 (2100 GMT) on January 7, 2023 a cease-fire along the entire line of contact between the sides in Ukraine," a statement from the Kremlin said.
The announcement would be the first time a national cease-fire occurred in the war. It's unclear whether Putin and Russian military will actually follow through with the decision, DW reports.
The call by the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, to cease fire and establish a truce for Christmas is a “cynical trap” and a propaganda element, that’s according to the adviser to the head of the Ukrainian President’s Office, Mykhailo Podolyak.
"ROC is not an authority for global Orthodoxy & acts as a ‘war propagandist’. ROC called for the genocide of Ukrainians, incited mass murder & insists on even greater militarization of RF. Thus, ROC's statement about "Christmas truce" is a cynical trap & an element of propaganda," Ukrinform reports.
