Towards a temporary cessation of fighting? Russian Patriarch Kirill called for a ceasefire in Ukraine and the Donbass on the occasion of Orthodox Christmas on Thursday through the website of the Russian Orthodox Church.
“I, Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, appeal to all parties involved in the internal conflict with a call for a ceasefire and the establishment of a 12-hour Christmas truce from January 6 at noon. until January 7 at midnight, so that the Orthodox can attend services on Christmas Eve and on the day of the Nativity of Christ,” he said.
In mid-December the question of a truce by the end of the year had already been discussed, but the Kremlin had assured that it was not under discussion. “No one has made any proposals, this issue is not on the agenda,” Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Orthodox-majority populations
Russia and Ukraine are countries whose population is mainly of the Orthodox faith, but Kyiv has moved away from Moscow’s religious tutelage in recent years, notably by founding an independent Church.
Patriarch Kirill has delivered sermons since the beginning of the Russian offensive in Ukraine in which he gave his blessing to the Russian troops while criticizing the Ukrainian authorities.
Ukraine, for its part, carried out a series of raids on churches and monasteries dependent on the Moscow Patriarchate with a view to “counterintelligence” measures.
Even if the Ukrainian Church under the Moscow Patriarchate broke ties with Russia in May, several of its dignitaries have been sanctioned by Kyiv for their positions considered pro-Russian.
Source: BFM TV
