It was reported that Russian strikes continued in the city of Bakhmut, despite a 36-hour ceasefire declared by Moscow
Shells have been reported to have landed in the vicinity of the disputed city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, despite Russia’s call for a ceasefire during the Orthodox Church’s Christmas period. Local reports say a civilian was killed, a BBC correspondent on the scene says Russian forces are regarding two kilometers from the main square of Bakhmut, and residents insist the ceasefire was in name only.
On Saturday, Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces in Ukraine would maintain a unilaterally declared Orthodox Christmas ceasefire until midnight, despite Ukraine’s rejection of the truce offer.
The Defense Ministry said in its daily statement that its forces responded with artillery fire only when shelled by Ukrainian forces, which it accused of hitting civilian areas, a repeated accusation from Kyiv to Russian forces.
Ukraine has dismissed Moscow’s offer of a ceasefire as a ploy designed to give Russian forces the opportunity to rest and rearm and has said it will continue to try to recapture territory captured by Moscow.
It seems that the unilateral ceasefire ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin did not have much impact on the situation on the ground, following statements appeared by Ukrainian officials indicating that Russian forces opened fire in more than one city in the Donetsk region.
Russia is concentrating its strikes on eastern Bakhmut, in an attempt to press in the direction of the west, towards the city of Karmatorsk.
The commander of Wagner’s mercenaries, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said earlier this week that the Ukrainians had turned every house in the city into a fortress. Satellite images were released on Friday showing the damage caused by the battle since last August.
A Ukrainian rescue worker was killed in Russian bombing, while Russian state television confirmed that the Donetsk region was bombed.
image copyright Kramatorsk City Council
The Ukrainians say the ceasefire was in name only
The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed that it is following this truce along the “front line”, starting at twelve noon Moscow time, Friday. It also accused Kyiv of continuing to bomb Russian sites and settlements in the occupied Ukrainian territories.
It was reported that warnings of air strikes were sounded across Ukraine shortly following the start of the truce announced by Russia. The governor of the Kherson region said a Russian air strike on a fire station killed a firefighter and wounded four others in the city, which was liberated by Ukrainian forces last November.
The city of Kramatorsk was also attacked, damaging several buildings, according to Ukrainian officials.
The leader of the Luhansk region, Serhiy Hai Day, warned that the Christmas truce was “a lie and a trap,” advising residents not to attend Orthodox church services and to avoid gathering in crowded places, as Russia might be planning “terrorist attacks.”
And Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, warned that temperatures in the capital might drop to 11 below zero, calling on the city’s residents to rationalize electricity consumption.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the truce announced by Russia is nothing but an attempt to stop the progress made by his country’s army in the east and buy time to bring in more Russian forces and military equipment.
And the sound of artillery shelling was heard on both sides of the battle front in the eastern city of Bakhmut, on which Russia focused its strikes in an attempt to press in a western direction towards the city of Karmatorisk.
image copyright KRAMATORSK CITY COUNCIL
Ukrainian officials said that regarding 14 houses were badly damaged by Russian bombing
Despite the insistence of Russian officials on the continuation of the truce, there is no indication that the fighting between the two sides has witnessed a significant calm.
“Two and a half hours have passed since the alleged ceasefire and air raid sirens are sounding all over Ukraine, so I think the current situation clearly speaks for itself,” Ukrainian parliamentarian Inna Sovsan told the BBC, suggesting it was the Russians who they claim to be. implement a cease-fire.
The Eastern Orthodox Church – the largest of the Orthodox churches in the East – celebrates Christmas on January 7, according to the Gregorian calendar.
But some Christians in Ukraine celebrate this occasion on December 25, while others celebrate it on January 7 every year. The state grants its workers a holiday on both days.
For the first time, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church allowed its synod to celebrate Christmas on December 25, as some Christian denominations do in western Ukraine.
