Putin congratulates Russians on Christmas
Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Russians today on the country’s most important religious holiday, Orthodox Christmas, after ordering a 36-hour unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine that will end at midnight tonight. In a statement from the Kremlin, Putin stressed that Christmas promotes values such as “compassion, compassion, kindness and justice”.
In addition, underlining the “great contribution” of Christianity, and especially of the Russian Orthodox Church, to the unity and solidarity of Russian society, the President praised the support given to the soldiers participating in the “special military operations” in Ukraine. The Russian leader attended a midnight service last night at Moscow’s Annunciation Cathedral, one of the three squares that make up the Kremlin’s cathedral square.
Putin had not attended a Christmas service in the Russian capital since 2001, when he attended a religious service at Russia’s most important cathedral, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.