Russia-Ukraine war: air raid sirens reported despite Russia calling ceasefire; Germany to send 40 armoured personnel carriers – live

Ceasefire to observe Orthodox Christmas begins but Ukraine leader calls it a ‘trick’; Germany to send equipment including Patriot anti-aircraft missile system

Reuters has the full report on how things are looking on the day of Russia’s unilateral ceasefire:

Russia and Ukraine attacked each others positions in eastern Ukraine on Friday with no sign they would observe a 36-hour ceasefire unilaterally ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin at short notice to mark Orthodox Christmas in the region.

Patriarch Kirill, head of the Orthodox church in Russia, called for a ceasefire and a Christmas truce in Ukraine from noon on 6 January to midnight on 7 January to enable Orthodox people to attend services. Kirill has been a vocal supporter of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin subsequently instructed his defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, to introduce a 36-hour ceasefire along the entire line of contact in Ukraine from noon tomorrow to midnight 7 January. He said that Russian troops must hold fire for 36 hours in order to mark Orthodox Christmas.

US president Joe Biden criticised Vladimir Putin for “trying to find some oxygen” by floating a 36-hour ceasefire from tomorrow noon to mark Orthodox Christmas, noting that Putin didn’t implement the break during the 25th, which many Orthodox Ukrainians celebrate, or on new year.

In his Thursday night address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy rejected the idea, saying the goal was to halt the progress of Ukraine’s forces in Donetsk and the wider eastern Donbas region and bring in more of Moscow’s forces.

Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior aide to Ukraine’s president, dismissed Putin’s ceasefire calls. Ukraine “doesn’t attack foreign territory and doesn’t kill civilians” and “destroys only members of the occupation army on its territory”, he wrote on Twitter, adding that a “temporary truce” would be possible only when Russia leaves territory it is occupying in Ukraine.

Ukraine’s foreign minister of affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, also posted on Twitter to say that Russia’s “unilateral ceasefire can not and should not be taken seriously.”

Russia’s state first TV channel has reported: “At noon today, the ceasefire regime came into force on the entire contact line. It will continue until the end of January 7.”