It would be the first ceasefire since the start of the offensive in Ukraine, on February 24, 2022.
This announcement comes after a request from Patriarch Cyril, 76, on the occasion of Orthodox Christmas, which is celebrated in both countries.
“Taking into account the appeal of His Holiness Patriarch Cyril, I order the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation to introduce a ceasefire regime along the entire line of contact of the parties in Ukraine from 12:00 on January 6, 2023 (3:00 a.m. Central Mexico time) until 12:00 a.m. on January 7, 2023 (3:00 p.m. Central Mexico time),” Putin said in the text.
The Kremlin indicated that given the high number of people professing the Orthodox faith in the combat zones, they called on the Ukrainians to declare a ceasefire that would give them the opportunity to “attend religious services on Christmas Eve , as well as on the Day of the Nativity of Christ”.
However, the Ukrainian authorities rejected this request, which they described as “hypocrisy” on the part of Putin. An adviser to the Ukrainian presidency, Mikhailo Podolak, called on the Moscow troops to leave the country.
“Russia must leave the occupied territories, only then will there be a ‘temporary truce’. Save your hypocrisy,” he wrote on Twitter.