DOOMED CHRISTMAS CEASEFIRE ON UKRAINIAN FRONT LINES

On the northern Donbass front lines, fighting is ongoing in the Svatovo region. So far, there are positional battles. The warring sides are fighting for initiative on the front lines. Ukrainian forces continue their attempts to attack Russian positions near Kremennaya. So far, without any success. In the Bakhmut and Soledar region, the operational initiative remains with the Russians. The assault detachments of the Wagner PMCs are fighting heavy street battles and pushing through the Ukrainian defense in Soledar. In the city, the Russians managed to make a significant breakthrough and reached the salt mines area. According to preliminary reports on January 6, Russian units completed the mop up operation in the village of Bakhmutskoye located on the eastern outskirts and advanced towards the center of the city. The Dekonskaya station came under Russian control. The offensive is also ongoing from Yakovlevka to the northern outskirts of the city and the Seversk—Soledar highway. The units of the Wagner PMCs continue their offensive in Bakhmut and its environs. Despite the throw of reserve units into battle, the Ukrainian Army is losing its positions. To the north-east of the city, Russian fighters advanced along the Svetlodarsk-Slavyansk highway and reached the southern outskirts of the village of Podgorodnoye. In the city, the detachments of the Wagner PMCs are also advancing simultaneously in several directions. The zone of their control in the area of Trudovuh Reservov Street has been expanded. Most of the street of Fedor Maksimenko is already under the control of the Russians, who are moving along it from north to south to the Waste Sorting plant. The mop up operation on the territory of the Gypsum Plant on Patrice Lumumba Street has been completed. On the southern outskirts of Bakhmut, fighting is ongoing near Kleshcheyevka and in the northern districts of Opytnoe. On the Donetsk outskirts, the front lines remain unchanged. At the beginning of the year, Russian forces took control of the village of Dorozhnyanka to the south of Gulyai Pole in the Zaporozhie region. The Ukrainian command was forced to transfer some troops from Zaporozhie region to Maryinka and Bakhmut, which decreased the offensive capabilities of the Ukrainian Army in the area. On January 5, Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed the Minister of Defense to introduce a ceasefire regime from midday on January 6 to midnight on January 7 along the entire front line in Ukraine. The initiative is aimed to let Orthodox people go to church and celebrate Christmas. But the response from Kiev was not long to wait for. Zelensky refused any Christmas truce. That is no surprise, as Orthodoxy in Ukraine is persecuted by the regime.