The aim of the 36-hour ceasefire is to allow people to attend church services on the Orthodox Church’s Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, i.e. Friday 6 January and Saturday 7 January, reports the Russian news agency IFX. – Bearing in mind the wish of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, I ask Russia’s Minister of Defense to introduce a ceasefire from 12 (at 10 Norwegian time, ed.) 6 January to 24 (at 22 Norwegian time, ed.) 7 January, along the entire front line between both parties in Ukraine, says President Vladimir Putin in a statement. – Given that there are many residents in the combat areas who belong to the Orthodox Church, we ask Ukraine to introduce a ceasefire and give them the opportunity to attend church services, the statement reads. The supreme leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, has also called for a ceasefire. Patriarch Kirill is the supreme leader of the Russian Orthodox Church. Sensible experts point out that Kirill has very close ties to Russian President Putin. Photo: YULIA MOROZOVA / Reuters – I, Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, call on all parties involved in conflicts to cease fire and establish a Christmas truce from 12:00 on January 6 to midnight on January 7, so Orthodox Christians can go to church services on Christmas Eve and on the day of Christ’s birth, writes the patriarch in a press release. Earlier today, Ukraine rejected the call from Kirill. – It is a cynical trap, a propaganda element. The Russian Orthodox Church is behaving like a war propagandist, says the Ukrainian president’s adviser Mykhailo Podoljak on Twitter. Turkish President Erdogan had also asked Putin to introduce a unilateral ceasefire earlier today in a telephone conversation, according to AFP.
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Russia introduces ceasefire in Ukraine – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
