Ukraine reports suffering over 20 artillery attacks, Russia claims to be abiding by ‘Christmas ceasefire’

Russia executed one missile strike and 20 artillery attacks against Ukraine in the last 24 hours, says Ukraine’s General Staff.

“The threat of air and missile strikes remains nationwide,” reads the statement. Yaroslav Yanushevich, the Kherson governor, has reported an attack on Berislav on Saturday morning.

Russia is also continuing its offensive on the Bakhmut direction in the east. Ukraine’s air forces report executing an air strike against a concentration of Russian troops, while missiles and artillery hit Russia’s groupings in four areas, as well as two combustibles and lubricants warehouses.

Russia’s Defence Ministry, however, claims to be abiding by the ‘ceasefire’, TASS cites the agency.

“Russia’s troops will continue observing the ceasefire up until midnight despite Ukraine’s attacks on settlements and the Russian Army’s positions,” reads the statement.

Vladimir Putin ordered an armistice on the entire contact line in Ukraine starting 12.00 Moscow time 6 January and finishing 24.00 7 January yesterday following a suggestion from Russia’s Patriarch Kirill. Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelensky reacted to the news, saying that Moscow was using the declared ceasefire as cover to stop the Ukrainian army and announced that only full withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine would prevent fire and human losses.

Most Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on 7 January, unlike Christians in Western countries.