End of the war in Ukraine? Vladimir Putin’s ceasefire does not convince

While the war in Ukraine has been going on for almost a year, Vladimir Putin announced a Russian ceasefire on January 6-7, 2023 due to Orthodox Christmas. kyiv and the West doubt the intentions of the Russian president and see a strategic maneuver.

A first truce after almost a year of armed conflict. Vladimir Putin declared a ceasefire for the Russian troops mobilized in the war in Ukraine this Friday, January 6, 2023 from noon local time (10 a.m. in France). But the respite will only be short-lived, precisely 36 hours until midnight on January 7, the time to celebrate Orthodox Christmas celebrated by the majority of Russians and Ukrainians. The fact remains that the ceasefire was decided unilaterally after a call from Patriarch Kirill, leader of the Russian Orthodox Church but also a former member of the KGB and fervent supporter of the “special operation” initiated by Moscow on February 24, 2022.

A true truce or a military strategy?

If the decision of the master of the Kremlin responds to “the call of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill”, it does not convince the opposing camp which has been ordered to respect the truce. But nothing says that the Ukrainian army will comply with this requirement. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sees this ceasefire as a disguised way for Moscow troops to buy time. The truce is more of an “excuse with the aim of at least stopping the advance of our troops in the Donbass and bringing equipment, ammunition, and bringing men closer to our positions”, lambasted the head of state. A feeling shared by his close advisers like Mykhaïlo Podoliak, who denounced Russia’s “hypocrisy” on Twitter before replying: “Russia must leave the occupied territories, only then will there be a ‘truce temporary'”.

The government of kyiv does not give credence to the announcement of a ceasefire, nor do the inhabitants who have been immersed in the war for almost a year. At the microphone of BFM TVseveral civilians criticized the Russian truce: “We don’t believe Putin (…). It’s a manipulation, a farce”.

Skepticism of the international community

It is not only in kyiv that we doubt Vladimir Putin’s intentions behind the announcement of a ceasefire. And the White House openly criticized the maneuver deemed manipulative by the Kremlin. US President Joe Biden felt that his counterpart was trying to “give himself some air” and seriously doubted the religious motivations, recalling that the head of state was “ready to bomb hospitals, nurseries and churches (.. .) December 25 and New Years”. Germany was also critical of the 36-hour ceasefire through Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who tweeted: “If Putin wanted peace, he would bring his soldiers home and the war would be over. But apparently he wants to continue the war, after a brief hiatus.”