Wednesday, July 8, 2026

Ukraine War: Putin orders ceasefire for Russian Orthodox Christmas

The ceasefire, expected to last for 36 hours – from midday on Friday to Saturday midnight –
has been described as “hypocrisy” by a high-ranking Ukrainian official.

• January 5, 2023
Vladimir Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a ceasefire in its ongoing war with Ukraine to allow citizens celebrate the Orthodox Christmas. 

“Given that a large number of citizens practicing Orthodoxy resides in the areas of hostilities, we call on the Ukrainian side to announce a cease-fire and give them an opportunity to attend services on Christmas Eve and the day of Christ’s birth,” the Kremlin said in a statement on Thursday.

The ceasefire, expected to last for 36 hours – from midday on Friday to Saturday midnight –

has been described  as “hypocrisy” of the Putin regime by a high-ranking Ukrainian official.

Mykhailo Podolyak stressed that Ukraine unlike the Russian Federation “doesn’t attack foreign territory.”

According to him, Russian soldiers “must leave the occupied territories” as “only then will it have a “temporary truce” tweeted the senior Ukrainian official.

“Keep hypocrisy to yourself,” fired Mr Podolyak, who currently serves as a presidential adviser under the Volodymyr Zelenskyy administration.

We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.

More from Peoples Gazette

farmers

Agriculture

FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology

The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Katsina State

Politics

Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku

“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

African Democratic Party (ADC)

Hot news Home top

ADC bars state chapters from receiving court processes, engaging lawyers

Mr Abdullahi said the party received reports that court processes relating to the ADC were being served on state chapters across the country.

Rainfall

Heading 4

NiMet predicts three-day cloudy, rainy atmosphere from Thursday

According to NiMet, strong winds may precede rain in areas where thunderstorms are likely.

Census

Heading 1

Stop guessing Nigeria’s population, UN tells FG

Ms Mafico reaffirmed UNFPA’s support for Nigeria’s next population and housing census.

Police

States

Commercial driver arrested for absconding with hire-purchase vehicle

The police said the stolen vehicle was recovered in a well-coordinated intelligence operation.

Cancer symbol used to illustrate the story

Heading 2

WHO warns global annual cancer cases may hit 35 million by 2050

WHO said on Wednesday that cancer causes more than 26,000 deaths daily, with 20.6 million new cases yearly worldwide.

Alia and Tinubu

States

Tinubu’s reforms rebounded Benue’s economy, security, development: Gov. Alia

Mr Alia commended Mr Tinubu for implementing difficult but necessary reforms to reposition Nigeria’s economy for long-term growth.