Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his troops observe a 36-hour ceasefire in Russia’s war in Ukraine for the Orthodox Christmas holiday, however Kyiv is skeptical.
For the first time in the war’s nearly 11-month history, Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his military forces to observe a unilateral 36-hour ceasefire in Ukraine this weekend for the Orthodox Christmas holiday. Kiev has suggested it would not follow suit.
Putin’s command to halt hostilities did not appear to be contingent on Ukraine agreeing to do the same, and it was unclear if fighting would end only along the front line’s 1100 km or elsewhere. Russian peace efforts have previously been disregarded by Ukrainian officials as a stalling tactic by Moscow to gather its forces and be ready for new assaults.
Russian authorities have issued temporary local ceasefires at several spots during the conflict that broke out on February 24, 2022 to enable for the evacuation of civilians or other humanitarian objectives. Putin’s directive to his soldiers to observe a truce throughout Ukraine yesterday marked the first time he had done so.
Putin’s order, addressed to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and posted on the Kremlin’s website, reads as follows: Based on the fact that a large number of citizens professing Orthodoxy live in the combat areas, we call on the Ukrainian side to declare a ceasefire and give them the opportunity to attend services on Christmas Eve, as well as on the Day of the Nativity of Christ.
