New Delhi: Ukrainian forces continued to face artillery fire on Friday, even after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a 36-hour ceasefire from midday on Friday to observe Russian Orthodox Christmas. Moscow had ordered its troops to stop shooting in a unilateral move that was firmly rejected by Kyiv as "hypocrisy". The directive came after the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, called for both sides in the Ukraine conflict to observe a Christmas truce.
Ukraine had made it clear that it had no intention to stop fighting, rejecting the announcement as a stunt for Russian forces to buy time amid heavy losses this week.
In an address on Thursday night, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia aims to use Orthodox Christmas “as a cover” to resupply and stop Ukrainian advances in the eastern Donbas region. “What will this accomplish? Only another increase in the casualty count,” a CNN report quoted the President as saying.
More On It: ‘Russia Cannot Be Trusted’: Ukraine Rejects Putin’s Christmas Ceasefire, Calls It 'Hypocrisy'
According to a report by news agency Reuters, a Ukrainian soldier, using the nom de guerre Vyshnya, pointed to an explosion in the distance at the front line near Kreminna in eastern Ukraine and remarked, "What ceasefire? Can you hear?"
"What do they want to achieve if they keep on shooting? We know, we have learnt not to trust them," he said, as per the report.
The Russian defence ministry stated that its troops began observing the ceasefire from noon Moscow time (0900 GMT) "along the entire line of contact", but claimed that Ukraine had kept shelling populated areas and military positions.
Reuters reported hearing explosions which were Ukrainian troops at the front line described as incoming Russian rocket fire and Ukrainians retaliated from tanks.
"The situation today is exactly the same as yesterday, the day before yesterday, last week and last month," said Reuters reported an unidentified person as saying. "There is no point in talking to them, in believing in their promises, orders and decrees."
As per the report, Serhiy Haidai, the Ukrainian governor of the front line eastern Luhansk province said that the Russian troops shelled Ukrainian positions 14 times within the first three hours of the purported ceasefire and even stormed one settlement three times.
Christmas is observed on January 7 in the Russian Orthodox Church, which adheres to the ancient Julian calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar. However, the main Orthodox Church in Ukraine rejected the practice and Christians in the country observe the holiday on the same day as the rest of the world.