Russian President Vladimir Putin stood alone at a midnight service at a Kremlin church as he marked Orthodox Christmas darkened by Moscows assault on Ukraine.Putin attended the service at the Cathedral of the Annunciation, initially developed as a church for the Russian tsars.He stood alone as Orthodox priests in golden bathrobes carried out an event holding long candle lights, pictures released by the Kremlin showed.In previous years Putin generally participated in Orthodox Christmas services in Russian provinces or simply outside Moscow.The Russian Orthodox Church observes Christmas on January 7.

In a message launched by the Kremlin on Saturday, Putin congratulated Orthodox Christians, stating the holiday motivated kind deeds and goals.

He likewise applauded the Orthodox Church, whose influential head Patriarch Kirill has completely backed Putins offensive in Ukraine.Church organisations are supporting our soldiers taking part in a special military operation, Putin stated, using the main Kremlin term for the offensive in Ukraine.

Such excellent, complex, genuinely ascetic work deserves the most genuine respect, he added.Patriarch Kirill has called on believers to support pro-Russian brothers throughout Moscows offensive in eastern Ukraine.In a preaching last year, he said that dying in Ukraine gets rid of all sins.

On February 24 last year, Putin sent out troops to Ukraine, saying the fellow Orthodox Christian nation needed to be demilitarized.

In current months, his army has suffered a series of military obstacles on the ground in the Western-backed country.Putin has unilaterally bought his forces to pause attacks for 36 hours for the Orthodox Christmas.But AFP reporters heard both outbound and incoming shelling in the frontline city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine after the time when the Russian ceasefire was expected to have actually started.