The real reason why Vladimir Putin ordered the ceasefire in Ukraine since January 6

The President has surprisingly ask his armed forces to stop hostilities in Ukraine this weekend.

Putin ordered a ceasefire for Russian Christmas.

Almost a year after the invasion of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin surprised on Thursday by ordering Moscow's armed forces to initiate a ceasefire amid a war that has caused thousands of deaths in 11 months and has generated international outrage and retaliation to Russia.

Even Putin did not seem to condition his order on Ukrainian action to do the same, and it was not clear if hostilities would really stop at the 1,100-kilometer front line, so social media users wonder if it is the beginning of the end of the war or the decision of the Russian president obeys other reasons.

Recently, Putin has reopened himself to the possibility of a "serious dialogue" with the Ukrainian authorities and Turkey has also entered the equation, since its president Recep Tayyip Erdogan raised with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky the possibility of mediating peace between the two countries in conflict.

Why did Putin order a ceasefire in Ukraine?

According to the Kremlin report, Putin ordered a 36-hour ceasefire in Ukraine this weekend due to Russian Orthodox Christmas, the Kremlin reported. It is the first action of its kind in nearly 11 months of war. The order responds to a truce suggestion made hours earlier by the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Cyril, and which a Kiev official classified as propaganda.

Based on the fact that a large number of citizens professing Orthodoxy live in the combat areas, we call on the Ukrainian side to declare a ceasefire and give them the opportunity to attend Masses on Christmas Eve, as well as on the Day of the Nativity of Christ," according to Putin's order.

Cyril suggested a truce from noon on Friday until midnight on Saturday. The Russian Orthodox Church, which is based on the old Julian calendar, celebrates Christmas on January 7, although some Christians in Ukraine also celebrate the holiday on that date.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak dismissed Cyril's proposal, calling it "a cynical trap and an element of propaganda." President Volodymyr Zelensky had suggested a withdrawal of Russian troops by December 25, but Russia rejected it.