MOSCOW: The Russian State TV has announced that a ceasefire announced by Russian President Putin the other day has come into force along the entire front of Ukraine.
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President Vladimir Putin had ordered a 36-hour ceasefire in Ukraine over Orthodox Christmas, the first significant truce of the more than the 10-month-long war that has killed tens of thousands and devastated swathes of Ukraine.
Putin ordered the ceasefire to begin on Jan. 6 Friday (today), the Kremlin said. Many Orthodox Christians, including those living in Russia and Ukraine, celebrate Christmas on Jan. 6-7.
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“Taking into account the appeal of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, I instruct the Minister of Defence 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 to 24.00 on January 7, 2023,” Putin said in the order.
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“Proceeding from the fact that a large number of citizens professing Orthodoxy live in the areas of hostilities, we call on the Ukrainian side to declare a ceasefire and allow them to attend services on Christmas Eve, as well as on Christmas Day,” Putin said.
It is pertinent to mention here that Ukraine earlier dismissed Kirill’s appeal, though there was no immediate reaction to Putin’s ceasefire announcement.
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