Did the Orthodox Christmas ceasefire hold on 6 January?

Did a ceasefire really begin on 6 January 2023? Moscow had declared one, but reports from that day described continued strikes on Ukrainian towns.

The truce had been set in motion on 5 January 2023. Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, called for an Orthodox Christmas truce. That evening Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a unilateral ceasefire for 6–7 January, linked to Orthodox Christmas. As later described, he instructed the defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, to declare a 36-hour pause along the entire line of contact, from midday on 6 January to midnight on 7 to 8 January.

Ukraine rejected an offer to respond with a mutual ceasefire, citing a lack of trust. The declaration therefore rested on one side alone.

What was reported on 6 January

On the day the pause was due to begin, Russian forces shelled the front-line city of Kramatorsk, according to its mayor. At least fourteen homes were damaged, and no casualties were reported. Officials of the Donetsk People's Republic, for their part, accused Ukraine of shelling Donetsk with artillery.

In the south, a Russian missile strike near a fire station in Kherson killed one person and injured four others, according to regional official Yaroslav Yanushevych.

The wider backdrop

The truce announcement came alongside decisions on military support for Ukraine. On 5 January 2023, the United States and Germany agreed to send Bradley Fighting Vehicles and Marder infantry fighting vehicles. Germany also committed to supplying a MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile system.

Taken together, the events of those two days show a declared Russian pause, Ukrainian distrust of it, and reported shelling in Kramatorsk, Donetsk and Kherson on the day it was meant to take effect. Meanwhile, Kyiv's partners were moving to deliver armoured vehicles and air defence.