The 36-hour ceasefire will act in line with the Orthodox Christian Christmas
, which is celebrated on January 7.
An official statement from the Kremlin on the Telegram app read: "Instructions of the President of the Russian Federation to the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. "Taking into account the appeal of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, I instruct the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation to introduce from 12:00 January 6, 2023 until 24:00 January 7, 2023, a ceasefire along the entire line of contact between the parties in Ukraine.
"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."There has been no response from Ukraine, which had previously rejected a call from the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, labelling it a “cynical trap”.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak dismissed Mr Kirill’s call as “a cynical trap and an element of propaganda”.
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