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Kyiv moves Christmas to 25 December by law
Summary
A look back at the law signed in late July 2023 that shifted Ukraine's Christmas date, set against a defence-minister visit to Pyongyang.
What did Ukraine's decision to move Christmas say about its break with Russian practice? By 1 August 2023, the question was live in Kyiv, days after the president signed the change into law.
On 28 July 2023, Zelensky signed a parliamentary bill amending the Labour Code. It moved the celebration of Christmas in Ukraine from 7 January to 25 December. It also covered other state holidays whose dates are tied to religious observances. The stated aim was to abandon the Russian legacy of imposed Christmas celebrations.
A separate signal from Pyongyang
On 27 July 2023, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu and a Chinese delegation met in Pyongyang. The occasion was the 70th anniversary of the cessation of hostilities in the Korean War. Kim and Shoigu also attended an exhibition of North Korean ballistic missiles. Multiple United Nations resolutions, endorsed by both China and Russia, prohibit those missiles.
The two developments were unconnected, but both fell in the final days of July 2023 and bore on how Ukraine and its region were positioning themselves.
