KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered Moscow’s armed forces to hold a 36-hour cease-fire in Ukraine this weekend for the Russian Orthodox Christmas holiday.
The order follows a proposal by the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill. Putin's order said: “Based on the fact that a large number of citizens professing Orthodoxy live in the combat areas, we call on the Ukrainian side to declare a cease-fire and give them the opportunity to attend services on Christmas Eve, as well as on the Day of the Nativity of Christ.”
