No prospect of ‘Christmas ceasefire’ in Ukraine, says Putin’s spokesperson

Moscow is not planning a “Christmas ceasefire” in Ukraine and has not received any proposals about it, top spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday, outlining the war’s trajectory through the harsh winter.

“No, no such offers have been received from anybody. This topic is not on the agenda,” the Kremlin spokesperson said on being asked if Russia has seen any proposals for a Christmas ceasefire to stop the military offensive during the holiday.

The war in Ukraine will enter its 11th month on Christmas eve for millions in the European country under Russian siege.

Russia’s remarks come after Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Vladimir Putin administration should start withdrawing its forces from the Ukrainian land by Christmas as the first step towards peace talks to end the relentless shelling and missile attacks on the country.

Leaders and experts monitoring the war in Ukraine expect the military salvo to slow down in the snowy winter months which has already arrived in Kyiv as well as Russia to suffer attrition due to dwindling morale and lack of territorial advantage.

On Wednesday, Ukraine’s air defence forces shot down 13 drones after Russia fired Iranian Shahed drones on the country, marking its first major drone attack in and around Kyiv in weeks.

President Volodymyr Zelensky lauded the military counterattack which downed the drones stating that the air defence systems appeared to have shot down all the drones. "Well done, I am proud," he said.

Officials sounded an air raid alert early morning around 5.30am and shut it three hours later, urging locals to take shelter.

A winter deadlock is likely to set in in the war, military analysts have said with Russia stepping on the gas with its offensive for as much land grab as possible with Ukraine holding ground in the battle with ammunition and intelligence assist from its western allies.

Washington is looking to help Ukraine with its most advanced Patriot air defence system this week.

But the fiercest fight has gripped eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk — especially the pockets of Bakhmut and Avidiivka towns — with Russia trying to push the frontier further inside Ukraine.

In the past 24 hours in the Kharkiv, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions "the enemy launched 1 air and 11 missile strikes, 3 of them on the civilian infrastructure...(and) launched more than 60 attacks from multiple rocket launchers", the general staff of Ukraine‘s armed forces said in Wednesday morning report.