comment: >
  
  Russians shelled kherson on 24th killing 12 and wounding ~50 people. Now they want truce for their christmas eve...
context: For those unable to read the article due to a paywall:
  KYIV, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Ukraine spurned an offer from Russian President Vladimir Putin for a 36-hour ceasefire over Orthodox Christmas, saying there would be no truce until Russia withdraws its invading forces from occupied land.
  The Kremlin said Putin had ordered a ceasefire from midday on Friday after a call for a Christmas truce from Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church.
  "Taking into account the appeal of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, I instruct the Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation to introduce a ceasefire regime along the entire line of contact of the parties in Ukraine from 12:00 on January 6, 2023 to 24:00 on January 7, 2023," Putin said in the order.
  "Proceeding from the fact that a large number of citizens professing Orthodoxy live in the areas of hostilities, we call on the Ukrainian side to declare a ceasefire and allow them to attend services on Christmas Eve, as well as on Christmas Day," Putin said.
  But Ukrainian presidential adviser Mikhailo Podolyak tweeted back that Russia "must leave the occupied territories - only then will it have a 'temporary truce'. Keep hypocrisy to yourself."
  He said that unlike Russia, Ukraine was not attacking foreign territory or killing civilians, only destroying "members of the occupation army on its territory".
  Podolyak, had earlier rejected Kirill's for a truce as "a cynical trap and an element of propaganda". He described the Russian Orthodox Church, which has endorsed the invasion, as a "war propagandist" that had incited the "mass murder" of Ukrainians and the militarisation of Russia.
  Ukraine has previously dismissed the prospect of any Russian call for a ceasefire as an attempt by Moscow to secure some respite for its troops, which Ukraine is trying to force from territory Russia seized by force after its invasion last February.
  Russia's Orthodox Church observes Christmas on Jan. 7. Ukraine's main Orthodox Church has rejected the authority of the Moscow patriarch, and many Ukrainian believers have shifted their calendar, celebrating Christmas on Dec. 25 as in the West. >
  
  Podolyak's a sharp cookie. He's got Putin and Kirill figured-out. >
  
  I dunno… it’s good propaganda for Russia to say the Ukraine wouldn’t do a Christmas truce. That they attacked while the troops worshipped. Etc
  Personally, I wouldn’t trust Russia at all. But I wouldn’t want to increase support. >
  
  They would say that either way. It doesn't really matter what Ukraine does or does not do. >
  
  Yea remember when they 100% definitely weren’t mobilizing troops around the Ukrainian border and it was just a military exercise? >
  
  I still find it funny that anyone buys into the idea that Russia was provoked into this conflict by anything specific when it was clear from a mile away that it was being telegraphed, on top of Putin just openly drooling over Ukraine for over a decade. >
  
  Honestly the Funny thing was that it was so telegraphed that most were surprised that the war even happened. I was one of these. Putin had been doing this for a while whenever he wanted concessions or to look strong. I explained it to my relatives as when the neighborhood bully comes to the door and asks for a cup of sugar with a baseball bat. Like ok it’s just a cup of sugar that costs me nothing, why are you here and with a baseball bat you look like an idiot. The theatre of it was so stupid I honestly thought that he was just bluffing. I had said over a family gathering in early February that he won’t do it and if he does it’ll be his Vietnam and go all to hell. Turns out I was half right. Honestly it’s just insane this happened in the first place and it really caught me off guard. >
  
  "He couldn't possibly be that stupid." - Me, Feb. 23 2022 >
  
  French Intel concluded there was no way there would be a full scale invasion because Russia didn't have enough troops to occupy Ukraine.  Turns out they didn't have enough troops to invade. >
  
  China legitimately seemed to have believed Putin’s shit- we know this because while basically everyone else was evacing their citizens out of Ukraine weeks before the war started, China didn’t do anything until the bombs started falling, then it turned into a shitshow trying to get 6000 people out of an active war zone.
  The Chinese embassy told their citizens to put up identifying symbols like Chinese flags on their vehicles- followed by them telling everyone to not put flags on their vehicles the very next day. >
  
  after attacks on new year day? >
  
  The Russians wrote "Happy New Year" on a suicide drone and sent it towards Ukraine on New Years eve. And now they want a cease fire for nearly two days because of a holiday themselves? 
  This is an obvious ploy by them to be able to point their fingers at the Ukrainians who do nothing but defend themselves. They have been using these disgusting propaganda tactics for months.