Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) – Social media activists shared images and videos of Russian President Vladimir Putin standing “alone” in the church during Orthodox Christmas Mass, which sparked an interaction.
Putin attended a Christmas Eve service at a Kremlin cathedral, according to the Kremlin.
On Thursday, the Russian president called for a temporary 36-hour ceasefire in Ukraine to allow Orthodox worshipers to attend Christmas services, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected the proposal, saying Russia intends to use Orthodox Christmas as ” cover” to replenish and stop the Ukrainian advance into eastern Donbass.
Many Ukrainians celebrated Orthodox Christmas in the capital, Kiev, as the Dormition Cathedral, part of the historic Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, held services in Ukrainian for the first time in centuries on Saturday.
