06:36 GMT. Ukraine, Russia’s controversial ceasefire set to start this Friday
The ceasefire ordered by Russia for Orthodox Christmas is due to begin this Friday in Ukraine. Following a call from Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, but also a proposal from Turkish Head of State Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday asked his army to observe a “ceasefire along the entire line of contact between the parties from 12:00 p.m. on January 6 this year until 12:00 p.m. on January 7”.
05:50 TU. Vladimir Putin ordered a ceasefire on Thursday
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday ordered a ceasefire in Ukraine for the Orthodox Christmas of January 6-7, the first major truce since the invasion began nearly a year ago, lambasted by kyiv denouncing “hypocrisy” and willingness to save time.
The day after France announced that it would send light tanks to Ukraine, the United States and Germany promised kyiv the delivery of armored infantry, of the Bradley type on the American side and of the Marder model on the German side. Berlin has also agreed to provide a Patriot air defense battery. Volodymyr Zelensky greeted “a very important decision”.
To re(see): France promises Ukraine a delivery of AMX-10 armored vehicles
He also castigated the unilateral ceasefire announced by Vladimir Putin for the Orthodox Christmas, which, according to him, is only a “apology in order to at least stop the advance of our troops in the Donbass and bring equipment, ammunition, and bring men closer to our positions”. “What will be the result? No more deaths”he said.
During the day, the Russian president announced this ceasefire, after a call to this effect from the Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, but also a proposal from the Turkish head of state Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“In view of the appeal of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, I instruct the Russian Minister of Defense to introduce a ceasefire regime along the entire line of contact between the parties in Ukraine from 12:00 p.m. on 6 January of this year until 24:00 on January 7”said the Russian president, quoted in a press release from the Kremlin.
He also called on the Ukrainian forces to respect this truce in order to give the possibility to the Orthodox, the majority confession in Ukraine as in Russia, to“to attend services on Christmas Eve, as well as on the day of the Nativity of Christ”.
The Russian truce is being offered less than a week after a Ukrainian strike on New Year’s Eve left at least 89 people dead in Makiivka, eastern Ukraine. A particularly deadly bombardment that the Russian army had to recognize, an extremely rare fact, and which aroused criticism in Russia against the military command.
To re(watch): Ukraine, a New Year under the bombs