Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a 36-hour ceasefire in Ukraine from noon on January 6 to midnight on January 7. This announcement is made to celebrate Orthodox Christmas.
Putin said in his address that there will be no attack on Ukraine on January 6 and 7 on the Orthodox Christmas festival. Announcing the ceasefire, Putin ordered the Russian army not to fire on Ukraine for 36 hours.
Putin said he was following the appeal of Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church. He said the church president had appealed for a ceasefire on Orthodox Christmas, after which the Russian army had been ordered to do so. Putin has also called on Ukraine to join a temporary ceasefire. This will be the first ceasefire since the conflict began.
It is noteworthy that the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, is a close associate of President Vladimir Putin. He is also an ardent supporter of the invasion of Ukraine. But his support has angered many other priests.
It is noteworthy that Russia has carried out several airstrikes on Ukraine on New Year’s Eve. According to a statement, Putin said: “A large number of Orthodox civilians live in the war zone, so we are giving Ukraine the opportunity to participate in the ceasefire and to participate in services on Christmas Eve as well as on the day of the birth of Jesus Christ.”
Thus, Christmas is celebrated on January 25 every year in the world. But 12 percent of the world waits until January 7 to celebrate the Christian festival. In fact, Orthodox Christmas is celebrated by about 260 million people worldwide. These people live in the majority-Orthodox countries of Eastern Europe, such as Russia and Greece, and in Ethiopia, Egypt, and elsewhere.
