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RARE PHOTOS: Orthodox christmas - The Real Truth

What is Orthodox Christmas? And why do millions of people celebrate it on January 7

The ancient church in the Roman Empire set its religious feasts based on the Julian calendar

The Independent UK

Putin escalates assault on Ukraine with deadly missile strikes

As Russia continues its relentless assault on Ukraine, President Zelensky seeks support from Japan and Europe while Putin celebrates Orthodox Christmas. A ...

Top News

Russia-Ukraine war: Moscow ‘will be defeated’, Zelenskiy says as Ukraine marks Christmas Day on 25 December for first time – as it happened

‘All Ukrainians are together,’ president says after government changed date of Orthodox Christmas in snub to Russia

The Guardian - AU

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Kremlin says West reacted 'cynically' to Christmas ceasefire

The Kremlin said on Tuesday that Ukraine and the West had reacted "cynically" to a 36-hour ceasefire proposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin to mark Orthodox Christmas.

Reuters

In polar night, Norway-Russia kids event lights up Christmas

The children’s choir from the Lutheran church in the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard traveled three hours each way by boat to mark Orthodox Christmas with the 40 children in Barentsburg, a village owned by Russia’s Arctic mining company in the remote Norwegian territory

The Independent UK

Moscow Ends Self-proclaimed Ceasefire, Vows to Press Ahead in Ukraine

Russia's overnight bombing of regions in eastern Ukraine killed at least one, local officials said on Sunday, after Moscow ended a self-declared Christmas ceasefire and vowed to push on with combat until it reaches a victory over its neighbor. President Vladimir Putin ordered on Friday a 36-hour ceasefire along the…

Asharq Al-Awsat

No respite in Ukraine fighting as shaky Russian truce ends

Intense shelling reported around Ukraine’s Bakhmut, despite Russia’s unilateral ceasefire for Orthodox Christmas.

Al Jazeera

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Russia Insists it is Observing Ukraine Ceasefire Despite Kyiv Attacks

Moscow insisted Saturday its army was observing a ceasefire it unilaterally declared in Ukraine to mark Orthodox Christmas despite artillery attacks by Kyiv troops. "Despite the shelling of the armed forces of Ukraine of settlements and Russian positions, the implementation of the declared ceasefire will continue," the Russian defense ministry…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Shelling booms around Bakhmut's streets in 'Christmas ceasefire'

Shellfire echoed on Saturday around the near-deserted streets of the Ukrainian town of Bakhmut, current focus of the most intense fighting in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, despite Moscow's declaration of a ceasefire for Eastern Orthodox Christmas.

Reuters

Ukrainians celebrate Orthodox Christmas in reclaimed church

Hundreds of Ukrainians heard the Orthodox Christmas service in the Ukrainian language for the first time in decades at Kyiv’s 1,000-year-old Lavra Cathedral

The Independent UK

Little let-up in Ukraine fighting on Orthodox Christmas

KYIV: Ukrainians and Russians on Saturday marked Orthodox Christmas under the shadow of war, as fighting persisted despite Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin unilaterally ordering his forces to pause attacks.

Bangkok Post

Ukrainians mark Orthodox Christmas in Europe with a prayer to return home

Victoria, a Ukrainian refugee, is celebrating Orthodox Christmas in Poland with a simple prayer - that next year she will be back at home.

Reuters

Strikes in East Ukraine despite Putin's Ceasefire Order

Artillery exchanges pounded war-scarred cities in eastern Ukraine on Friday despite Russian leader Vladimir Putin unilaterally ordering his forces to pause attacks for 36 hours for the Orthodox Christmas. The brief ceasefire declared by Putin earlier this week was supposed to begin at 0900 GMT Friday and would have been…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Orthodox Christmas celebrations commence Friday night

For Baltic, Hellenic, Arabic and Coptic households in Eastern Orthodox Churches, midnight mass and traditional holiday food come on a different calendar.

Chicago Sun-Times

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Evening Standard

Ukrainian residents venture out on Russian Orthodox Christmas Eve amid Moscow ‘ceasefire’

Vladimir Putin has declared a 36-hour truce but it was initially unclear whether it was holding

The Independent UK

What does Russia’s ceasefire declaration mean for Ukraine?

Volodymyr Zelensky accuses Vladimir Putin of seeking to halt Kyiv’s progress in Donbas with disingenuous call for temporary halt to conflict to accommodate Orthodox Christmas

The Guardian - UK

Russia-Ukraine war at a glance: What we know on day 316 of the invasion

Putin proposes 36-hour ceasefire to mark Orthodox Christmas; Ukraine says ‘temporary truce’ only possible when Russia leaves occupied territory

The Guardian - UK

Ukraine rejects Putin’s 36-hour ceasefire for Orthodox Christmas

Kyiv says Moscow’s declaration of truce, after Russian president cited appeal from patriarch, is ‘hypocrisy’

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Axios

Putin orders 36-hour unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine to mark Orthodox Christmas

A Ukrainian official dismissed the order as "hypocrisy."

Asharq Al-Awsat

Putin Orders Ceasefire in Ukraine over Orthodox Christmas

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday ordered a 36-hour ceasefire in Ukraine over Orthodox Christmas, the first major truce of the more than 10-month long war. Putin ordered the ceasefire to begin on Jan. 6, the Kremlin said. Many Orthodox Christians, including those living in Russia and Ukraine, celebrate Christmas…

WEKU

Putin orders a temporary cease-fire in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian forces to observe the cease-fire for 36 hours starting Jan. 6. A Ukrainian official dismissed the move as "a cynical trap."

Reuters

Putin orders ceasefire in Ukraine over Orthodox Christmas - Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday ordered a 36-hour ceasefire in Ukraine over Orthodox Christmas, the first major truce of the more than 10-month long war that has killed tens of thousands and devastated swathes of Ukraine.

France 24

Zelensky says Russia wants to use ceasefire as ‘cover’ to halt Ukrainian advance

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday appeared to reject a 36-hour ceasefire over Orthodox Christmas proposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin announced the proposal after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russia's spiritual leader Patriarch Kirill on Thursday called for a temporary truce during the festive season.Follow our…

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