The Russian Orthodox Church refused the idea of a temporary suspension of hostilities for the holidays, blaming Ukraine, despite the fact that it was Russia that violated the ceasefire.
The Russian Orthodox Church has declared that it will not propose a ceasefire to Ukraine for the holidays. They attribute this decision to what they perceive as "misunderstandings" in Ukraine regarding such ceasefires. Consequently, they have decided against offering them, particularly before Easter. This announcement was reported by the Komentari portal, citing Russian media.
Vakhtang Kipshidze, a representative of the Synodal Department of the Russian Orthodox Church for Interaction with Society and the Media, stated that the peaceful initiatives by Russia for temporary ceasefires have proven ineffective.
According to Kipshidze, such initiatives only make sense when met with understanding from the opposing side. However, in the absence of such understanding and any signs of its emergence, he deems the proposal of such initiatives at least irrelevant.
Additionally, Kipshidze claimed that Ukraine had allegedly violated similar ceasefires since 2014. However, according to reports from former Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Hanna Malhar, Russia has breached ceasefires at least 11 times since 2014.
The President's Office responded to one of the recent proposals from the Russian Church by Patriarch Kirill in January 2023, labeling it a "cynical trap and a propaganda element."