Putin’s Christmas Ukraine Ceasefire Didn’t Happen – After Kyiv denied Russia’s request for a Christmas ceasefire, which would have allowed Russian soldiers to celebrate Russian Orthodox Christmas Eve and Christmas on January 6 and 7, it looks as though Russian forces decided to go ahead and continue fighting through the holiday period.
Reuters reported how both Ukrainian and Russian forces exchanged artillery fire on the front line on Friday, meaning Russian soldiers must have chosen to continue fighting as normal.
The outlet quoted a Ukrainian soldier who suggested that the Russians were never really serious about the proposed truce.
“What ceasefire? Can you hear?” a Ukrainian soldier who went by the name of Vyshnya told Reuters. The outlet said that explosions could be heard in the distance as the soldier spoke.
“What do they want to achieve if they keep on shooting? We know, we have learnt not to trust them,” the soldier continued.
Snow in Ukraine Slows Fighting
While some Ukrainian forces reported that January 6 was largely quiet in some parts of the country, it wasn’t the result of a truce or festive celebrations.
Instead, snow reportedly made it impossible to fly drones and much harder to spot targets for artillery strikes.
In a statement on January 6, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said that several Russian attacks had been repelled over the past 24 hours.
According to the General Staff, Russian forces were still concentrating efforts on “attempts to establish control over the Donetsk region” on Russian Orthodox Christmas Eve.
Ukrainian Soldiers Celebrate Christmas On Video
A video shared by the General Staff celebrated Christmas this week. The video shows Ukrainian soldiers talking to the camera, chopping wood for the fire, and preparing food in an underground bunker.
“There are no traditional Christmas trees in our blinds, there are plenty around, but they have been destroyed by enemy shells. We are not at the parent’s house today, not at the festive table, without a loud carol,” the accompanying Facebook post reads.
“But we are strong in spirit and we want to assure you that we will definitely return with victory. Warriors 105 separate brigade of territorial defense zsu from the front congratulated ukrainians happy Christmas!” it continues.
The video followed a similar post shared by the General Staff on December 25. The earlier post included a photograph of Ukrainian troops sitting in dark rooms, lit only by candles, dining at a long table for Christmas.
Jack Buckby is 19FortyFive’s Breaking News Editor. He is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.
