Kyiv rebuffs Russia church head’s call for truce in Ukraine

Local residents carry the body of a 20-year-old man killed in Russian shelling in Kherson, Ukraine, on Thursday January 5 2023 (Libkos/AP)

The head of the Russian Orthodox Church has called for a 36-hour Christmas cease-fire in Ukraine at the end of this week – but his appeal looks unlikely to bring any breakthrough in halting the war that began nearly 11 months ago with Moscow’s invasion.

Patriarch Kirill has suggested a truce from 12pm on Friday until 12am on Sunday.