Ukraine defies Moscow/ Celebrates Christmas on December 25

2023-12-25 12:08:50, Kosova & Bota CNA

In the middle of the war, Ukraine, which has defended itself for nearly two years against Russian invasion, is defying Moscow again by celebrating Christmas for the first time on December 25, instead of January 7, which carries the very symbolism of the connection with Russia . However, despite the approach of the end-of-year holidays, the fighting has not stopped.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law in July to move the official Christmas holiday from January 7 - the day the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas - to December 25. The law stated that the goal was "abandonment of the Russian heritage".

This change means that Ukraine's Orthodox believers celebrate Christmas together with the country's Catholic believers, who earlier this year approved a similar change in the calendar.

In his nightly speech, posted as Ukraine prepared to mark the holiday, Zelensky said: "Today, all Ukrainians are together."

"We all celebrate Christmas together. On one date, as one big family, as one nation, as one... one country... Today, it [the holiday] will unite millions of voices – more than ever before,” he said.

In the southeastern cities of Dnieper and Zaporizhia, dozens of relatives of Ukrainian soldiers held by Russian forces as prisoners of war gathered on Christmas Eve to decorate trees with the names of their loved ones.

"My son, the defender of Mariupol, is in captivity for the second year in a row, for the second Christmas. Our Christmas tree is a call to society. It is a reminder that we are waiting for our children", said Iryna, resident of Dnieper.

In Zaporizhzhia, organizer Olha Plechun said that the general public perceives captivity as only detention, while the conditions of Ukrainian soldiers in Russian custody represent a "slow death".

"Our boys are being tortured. We need exchanges. "Our enemy is not noble: They do not respect any convention," she said.

Ukrainian authorities said that as of November 17, at least 3,574 military officials and 763 civilians are being held captive by Russia.

On the battlefield, 66 combat engagements took place between Ukrainian forces and the invading Russian army over the past 24 hours, according to the Ukrainian military. The Ukrainian army repulsed 21 Russian attacks near the northeastern Kharkiv region and the Stelmahivka area of ??eastern Luhansk province, the General Staff announced on December 25.

Russia also launched 31 drones and 2 missiles into Ukraine overnight. Ukraine's air defenses repelled 28 drones and both missiles, the military said, adding that the drones were launched from Russian-occupied Crimea./ REL