(Reuters) – President Vladimir Putin pledged his support for soldiers who defend Russia’s interests, and urged his government to offer greater support to those who fight while calling on his people to act justly and mercifully, on the eve of Orthodox Christmas. He made these remarks at a Saturday meeting with families of Russian soldiers who had died in Ukraine.
Putin emphasized that many Russian soldiers are currently defending the country’s interests, even during this holiday season. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, leading to thousands of deaths and millions of people being displaced.
The war has now shifted to increased air strikes as both sides have struggled to make significant gains along the frontline.
State television footage showed Putin attending an intimate midnight service at a chapel at his residence in Novo-Ogaryovo, outside Moscow, with families of soldiers killed in action. There was no call from Putin for a ceasefire in Ukraine to coincide with the holiday, as was the case a year ago.
Ukraine reported that a Russian missile strike killed 11 people and injured 10 in and around the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk. Meanwhile, a Russian-installed official accused Kyiv of shelling parts of Donetsk, now under Moscow’s control.
With elections approaching in March, Putin is softening his speeches to focus on traditional values and unity. He ordered the whole of his government to provide greater support to the families of killed servicemen.
In a separate statement, Putin called on Russians to follow the values of “goodness, mercy, and justice,” and urged the Russian Orthodox Church to help strengthen “the institution of families” and patriotism. He has used the Church as an ally to promote his vision of a “Russian World” based on traditional conservative values.
Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, bowed before the 15th century Trinity icon by Andrei Rublyov in Moscow’s Christ the Saviour cathedral.
Christmas services were also held in Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine, contrasting with the rest of the country following a law change to move the Christmas holiday to Dec. 25 as part of a drive to “renounce Russian heritage”.
In the southern Russian city of Belgorod, where 25 people were killed in Ukraine’s deadliest cross-border attack of the war, Mayor Valentin Demidov said Christmas Eve services had been cancelled due to sporadic rocket attacks.
