By John Ikani
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, announced a 36-hour ceasefire on the Ukrainian frontline, set to begin at 9:00 GMT. The ceasefire coincides with Russian Orthodox Christmas and Putin has requested that Ukraine reciprocate the gesture.
However, Ukraine has kicked against the truce, with Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak stating, “Keep hypocrisy to yourself.” The Kremlin’s statement emphasized that the ceasefire was not a de-escalation measure, but rather a response to an appeal from the head of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill had earlier called for a Christmas truce to allow believers to attend church services for Orthodox Christmas, which is celebrated on January 7th according to the Julian calendar.
In response to this appeal, President Putin instructed the Russian Minister of Defense to implement a ceasefire along the entire line of contact in Ukraine for a 36-hour period, beginning at 9:00 GMT on Friday.
The Kremlin statement called on Ukraine to reciprocate the gesture in order to allow “large numbers of Orthodox believers [who] reside in areas where hostilities are taking place” to celebrate Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
However, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak rejected the request, stating that there can be no “temporary truce” until Russian forces withdraw from all occupied areas.
The recent ceasefire proposal from the Kremlin serves a dual purpose, both for the domestic Russian audience and as a means of demonizing Ukraine. By presenting themselves as the ones seeking peace and Ukraine as rejecting it, Moscow can further their narrative that they are the good guys and that it is Ukraine and the West that pose a threat.
This move also comes shortly after a Ukrainian strike on a temporary barracks in the occupied city of Makiivka resulted in the highest single loss of Russian lives admitted by Moscow since the start of the war.
The tragic incident, which occurred on New Year’s Eve, a significant holiday in Russia, has led to outrage and blame being placed on incompetent military officials by the families of the deceased and some politicians and commentators.
Political analyst Tatyana Stanovaya speculates that the Kremlin’s ceasefire proposal may be an attempt to prevent further significant losses on another important Russian holiday.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan previously requested that Putin declare a “unilateral” ceasefire in Ukraine to allow for negotiations. It should be noted that while the Russian Orthodox Church is the largest Eastern Orthodox church, there are other denominations as well.
In Ukraine, some people celebrate Christmas on December 25th while others observe it on January 7th, both of which are public holidays in the country.
This year, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine allowed its congregations to celebrate Christmas on December 25th, a departure from previous years and a practice that is followed by other denominations in western Ukraine.
