UKRAINE
Russian invasion: Situation report day 317
January 6, 2023 - Ukrainian President Zelensky has rejected Vladimir Putin’s last-minute offer of an Orthodox Christmas truce over the weekend as a trick to slow Ukrainian progress and bring in reinforcements.
Putin instructed his defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, to commence a 36-hour ceasefire along the entire line of contact from Friday noon after Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox church, called for a Christmas truce so that the Orthodox population can attend services. Ukrainians, many of whom had already changed their calendars to celebrate Christmas on December 25, dismissed the move as hypocritical.