War in Ukraine: Missile attacks in Kherson, despite Moscow's proposed truce
Vladimir Putin and Moscow Patriarch Kirill's truce has failed. The Russians bombarded Kherson today, but accused Ukraine of not respecting the truce. Kiev had initially rejected any temporary peace that could be used by Russia to move more troops into Donbas. Thus, Putin decreed a truce which he did not respect. Ukrainian President Zelensky said peace means the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine in an appeal to the citizens of the Russian Federation.
“The war will end when your soldiers either leave or we drive them out. So let them take their old things, they will need them on the way home, and go back across our borders from 1991. Being afraid of him (Putin), you are surely destroying your country," said the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky.
Meanwhile, the German government has announced that it would deliver 40 Marder combat vehicles to Ukraine, and the United States is to send anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine. Incidentally, in Washington, Putin's truce was not taken seriously.
"I don't want to react to what Putin says. More interesting is that he was willing to bomb hospitals, kindergartens and churches on December 25 and New Year. I think he needs a breather," said US President Joe Biden.
The Kievans didn't believe in Russia's good intentions either.
"First of all, this is nonsense. Let's be serious, on Independence Day, on New Year's, on New Style Christmas there was no truce. Why would a truce be needed now?".
"I don't believe in truce. It will be the same scenario as the Minsk agreements. They will only cease fire on paper. In fact, no one will pay attention, and when we hit back, they will make propaganda and blame us."
"It's the old method, according to his classic method. I think it will be like always. He will decree the so-called cease-fire, but there will be no truce," the Ukrainians say.
In Kherson, a firefighter died and four people were injured as a result of the Russian bombings, the local authorities announced. The administration of the region published images from the city. As the Ukrainians guessed, Russia accuses Ukraine of violating the ceasefire.
"Ignoring the cease-fire regime, observed by the Russian troops starting at 12:00 Moscow time, the regime in Kyiv continued the artillery bombardment of the towns and positions of the Russian troops," said Igor Konashenkov, the spokesman of the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Moscow Patriarch Kirill was the first to propose the January 7 Christmas ceasefire. Putin decreed a truce for 36 hours. However, the Moscow church is not an authority in the Orthodox world, which was the reaction of Kiev. The Ukrainian Church was officially recognized by the Patriarchate of Constantinople exactly four years ago.
