 Russia announces brief ceasefire for Christmas," Kremlin reports. Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a unilateral ceasefire on the front line in Ukraine on Russian Orthodox Christmas Eve January 6 and Christmas Day January 7, according to the information released by the Kremlin today. Based on the fact that a large number of citizens who have converted to orthodoxy live in the areas of military operations, we call on the Ukrainian side to declare its ceasefire and give them the opportunity to participate in the celebrations of Christmas and the birth of Jesus, the statement reads.