On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued an order that called for a truce to be observed along the line of contact for the next 36 hours in order to commemorate the Orthodox Christmas that was celebrated in Russia and Ukraine on Saturday.
After Moscow ended a self-declared Christmas ceasefire and vowed to press on with combat until it reaches a victory over its neighbor, Russia’s overnight bombing of regions in eastern Ukraine reportedly resulted in the death of at least one person, according to statements made by local officials on Sunday.
On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued an order that called for a truce to be observed along the line of contact for the next 36 hours in order to commemorate the Orthodox Christmas that was celebrated in Russia and Ukraine on Saturday. The ceasefire was broken by Ukraine, and fighting continued with shelling along the frontline.
According to Oleh Sinehubov, the governor of the region, who made the announcement on the Telegram messaging app, Russia’s bombardment caused the death of a man in the northeastern province of Kharkiv who was 50 years old. The report emerged just a few minutes after the stroke of midnight in Moscow.
The majority of Ukrainian Orthodox Christians and Orthodox Christians in Russia have always observed the Christmas holiday on the seventh of January. However, this year, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which is the largest church in the nation, permitted a celebration on December 25. Despite this, a large number of people honoured the holiday on Saturday by visiting their local churches and cathedrals.
The Kremlin has stated that Moscow will continue with what it refers to as a “special military operation” in Ukraine; however, Kyiv and its Western allies view this activity as an act of unprovoked aggression to seize land.
Putin’s first deputy chief of staff, Sergei Kiriyenko, was quoted by the Russian state news agency TASS as saying that “the duties assigned by the president (Putin) for the special military operation will still be performed.”
“And a victory is unquestionably going to be achieved.”
There is no indication that the conflict, which is now in its eleventh month and has claimed the lives of thousands of people, displaced millions more, and reduced Ukrainian cities to ruins, will ever end.
In addition, Ukrainian authorities reported explosions in parts of the larger Donbas region, which serves as the frontline of the conflict and has been the site of heavy fighting for a number of months.
Pavlo Kyrylenko, the governor of the Donetsk region in Ukraine, reported that there were nine missile strikes on the region overnight, seven of which were directed at the city of Kramatorsk, which is currently under attack. The initial reports indicate that there were no fatalities due to the incident.
According to a local source, explosions were also reported in the city of Zaporizhzhia, which serves as the administrative centre for the Zaporizhzhia region. However, the official was unable to provide any immediate reports on injuries or damage.
On Wednesday, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, stated that Russia is making preparations for a big new onslaught. On Friday, the Pentagon stated that Putin’s goal of conquering Ukrainian territory has not altered, even if Putin’s military continues to suffer blows. This was despite the fact that Putin’s military continues to suffer blows.
After a recent movement of Russian troops to Belarus and an increase in military activity within the nation, there have been rising concerns that Belarus, which is a staunch supporter of Moscow, could be used as a staging ground for an attack on Ukraine coming from the north.
Late Saturday evening, unofficial Telegram groups monitoring military action in Belarus reported that between 1,400 and 1,600 Russian troops had landed in the city of Vitebsk in the northeastern region of Belarus over the course of the preceding two days from Russia.