The announcement follows a request for a cease-fire during the religious holiday from Russia's 76-year-old Orthodox leader...

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The announcement follows a request for a cease-fire during the religious holiday from Russia's 76-year-old Orthodox leader...

Digital Desk: President Vladimir Putin on Thursday declared a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine on the eve of Orthodox Christmas following a request from Russia's spiritual leader Patriarch Kirill, Kremlin stated.

"Taking into account the appeal of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, I instruct the defence minister of the Russian Federation to introduce from 12:00 (0900 GMT) on January 6, 2023, until 24:00 (2100 GMT) on January 7, 2023, a ceasefire along the entire line of contact between the sides in Ukraine," the Kremlin said in a statement.

"Proceeding from the fact that a large number of citizens professing Orthodoxy live in the areas of hostilities, we call on the Ukrainian side to declare a ceasefire and allow them to attend services on Christmas Eve, as well as on Christmas Day," added Kremlin said in a statement.

The announcement follows a request for a cease-fire during the religious holiday from Russia's 76-year-old Orthodox leader, Patriarch Kirill.

Kirill proposed a cease-fire from noon Friday until midnight Saturday, local time. The Russian Orthodox Church, which follows the ancient Julian calendar, observes Christmas on January 7-later than the Gregorian calendar; however, some Christians in Ukraine also observe the festival on that date.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak outlined Kirill's call as "a cunning trap and an element of propaganda." President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had proposed earlier, before December 25, but Russia rejected it.