Ukraine officially began celebrating Christmas on December 25 as a public holiday in 2017, introducing an additional day

[riversedge]

Ukraine without Christmas Truce
🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄
#StandwithUkraine

theukrainianreview.info/ukraine-with...

— (@oceancalm.bsky.social) 2025-12-24T16:23:52.020Z

Ukraine without Christmas Truce
24.12.2025
https://theukrainianreview.info/ukraine-without-christmas-truce/

Ukraine officially began celebrating Christmas on December 25 as a public holiday in 2017, introducing an additional day off. Later, in 2023, the Verkhovna Rada made December 25 the official date for celebrating Christmas nationwide.

This change is symbolic. It reflects Ukraine’s broader decolonization and its choice to celebrate the most significant winter holiday with the civilized world. Russia, however, cannot accept this choice and continues to manipulate the issue of dates.
Christmas Truce

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged Russia to declare a Christmas truce with Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy supported the idea, though he expected Russia to reject it. At the end of their joint press conference on December 15, Merz expressed hope that Russians still have “remnants of humanity.” Zelenskyy responded briefly: “There are no remnants.”

Dmitry Peskov, spokesperson for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, said:

We want peace; we don’t want a truce to give Ukraine a break and prepare for the continuation of the war.

On December 23, Russia conducted another mass attack, proving the emptiness of such statements.........................

[Igel]

1. Eastern Xmas is more than just Russian influence.

It's Orthodox influence. Greeks and Lebanese Orthodox also go Julian, not Gregorian, like Western Xmas.

Alternative names for the choice of dates are "Orthodox Xmas" and "Catholic Xmas" (since the dates were set by the Orthodox Church or by the Catholic Church, which changed the choice of calendars for Western countries, even those who were Protestant--conform or be cast out, I guess).