Russia rejects ceasefire to evacuate civilians amid Eastern Orthodox Holy Week

Russia Rejected the temporary ceasefire in Ukraine requested by the UN Secretary-General for the purpose of evacuating civilians during the Eastern Orthodox week leading up to Easter. The Russian Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations said that the request for a ceasefire was not sincere and would only provide time for arming Ukrainian soldiers.

Dmitry Polyansky, the deputy ambassador, told the Security Council on Tuesday that the ceasefire requests were “insincere, and in practice only indicate an aspiration to provide a breathing space for the nationalists in Kyiv to regroup and receive more drones and more anti-tank missiles.” And more MANPADS.” The New York Times mentioned. The term “MANPADS” refers to man-portable air defense systems, the smaller and more portable surface-to-air missiles.

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UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for a 4-day ceasefire to allow evacuations in combat zones and create safe corridors to bring in food and medicine.

Civilians, including children, are still trapped in the eastern region of Donbass, where Russian forces have launched an offensive New fierce attackand in the devastated coastal city of Mariupol. Guterres said earlier on Tuesday that more than 12 million people in Ukraine needed humanitarian assistance. He predicted that this number would rise to 15.7 million, about 40% of all Ukrainians remaining in the country.

Even China, which did not condemn Russia and abstained from voting on resolutions against the aggressor country, said that it supports a ceasefire on humanitarian grounds.

In this May 7, 2019 photo, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is pictured during an interview at United Nations Headquarters.
(AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

Russia, as a permanent member of the Security Council, twice vetoed resolutions focused on Ukraine after the invasion began in February.

Russia’s refusal also comes after the head of the World Council of Churches reached out to Moscow Patriarch Kirill, urging him to use his religious authority as head of the Russian Orthodox Church to call for a ceasefire as Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter this weekend.

“Our humble request to you in this special and impossible situation is to intervene and publicly demand a ceasefire for at least a few hours during Easter prayers,” Reverend Ioan Soca, Romanian Orthodox priest and acting general secretary to the world. council of churches, books In a letter published on Tuesday.

Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill delivers a Christmas mass at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022.
(AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Saoka requested the move in order to “give the soldiers and terrified civilians a chance to embrace and greet each other with the Easter salute, to silence the bombs and rockets instead, and to hear the Church’s triumphant sound instead. The bells and the cheerful signature of the faithful people. I wish it was such a short stay.” Fire is a prelude and proof that a lasting peace can be achieved.”

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Soka noted that “Orthodox and Catholic believers in Ukraine, Russia and all over the world are preparing to celebrate this weekend the most important holiday of the year, Judgment Day.” The priest also noted that the fighting in World War I “paused for a moment, so that the soldiers could share with each other the salutation of the Resurrection.”