Year: 2023

A destroyed church in the village of Bohorodychne, Donetsk region, on January 4 (Picture: AFP)

Vladimir Putin is believed to have ordered a ceasefire in Ukraine set to last 36 hours to celebrate Russian Orthodox Christmas.

Russian troops have been told to stand down from noon on January 6 to midnight on January 7.

The war despot has instructed his defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, to introduce a ceasefire regime along the entire line of contact, the Kremlin announced.

He also called on Ukraine to mirror the ceasefire and allow combatants to attend Christmas services.

His orders come as major new supplies of Russian armoured vehicles along with troops and weaponry have been moved to Belarus.

Videos show Russian BTR-80K amphibious armoured personnel carriers and BTR-82A APCs moved by train.

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It is believed the Kremlin is planning new offensives against Ukraine from the north.

But Belarus claimed the weaponry was being supplied to its forces for defensive purposes.

This is a breaking news story, more to follow soon… Check back shortly for further updates.

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Cristiano Ronaldo was already banned from making his debut for Al-Nassr (Anadolu Agency via Getty)

Al-Nassr’s first game since signing Cristiano Ronaldo has been called off after heavy rainfall in Riyadh.

The 37-year-old, who has signed a contract with the Saudi Arabian club worth £175 million a year, was officially unveiled earlier this week.

However, Ronaldo has been forced to wait to make his debut as he is currently serving a two-match suspension from the Football Association after he smashed an Everton fan’s phone during a Premier League game last April.

Despite Ronaldo now playing in Saudi Arabia, FIFA’s regulations state that players still need to serve their bans even after moving to a different league.

But Al-Nassr’s first game of the Ronaldo era was postponed on Thursday after rain in the Saudi Arabian capital caused electrical problems at the Mrsool Park stadium.

A statement from Al-Nassr read: ‘Due to heavy rain and weather conditions impacting the stadium’s electricity, we have been officially informed that tonight’s match against Al-Ta’ee is postponed for 24 hours.

‘We apologise for any inconvenience caused to fans and wish everyone safe travels.’

Cristiano Ronaldo was officially unveiled by Al-Nassr this week (MB Media/Getty)

Speaking earlier this week, Ronaldo claimed he had turned down approaches from all over the world in order to join Al-Nassr.

‘I had many opportunities in Europe and many clubs in Brazil, Australia, USA and even in Portugal, many clubs tried to sign me. But I gave my word to this club,’ Ronaldo said.

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‘I know what I want, and I know what I don’t want. For me, it’s a good challenge to change and to help with my knowledge and experience to grow many important points here.

‘I want to give a different vision of the country, of the football. This is why I took this opportunity.’

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