Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his invading forces to implement a unilateral cease-fire for Orthodox Christmas, beginning at noon Friday and continuing through Saturday, according to a Kremlin statement.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address that Putin’s order will only increase the death toll. “Everyone in the world knows how the Kremlin uses respites at war to continue the war with renewed vigor,” he said.
Also on Thursday, the United States and Germany announced they would send armored combat vehicles to Ukraine, in a major shift after months of turning down Kyiv’s requests for the vehicles. France said Wednesday it would provide Ukraine with an unspecified number of light tanks.
Here’s the latest on the war and its ripple effects across the globe.
Tinder in the trenches: How war has changed love and sex in Ukraine. When a 30-year-old Ukrainian soldier racked up 200 matches on Tinder in Kharkiv, he was enticed by the potential for a hookup. But as he started meeting up with dates, he quickly realized he lacked his normal charm and didn’t have the energy for conversation. The death and destruction of his daily life at war weighed on him too heavily.
Russia’s invasion has upended all aspects of life in Ukraine, and intimacy is no exception, write Jeff Stein, Samantha Schmidt and Kostiantyn Khudov. “It’s a real trauma, and trauma and romance don’t go together,” said Alexander Kolomiychuk, a sex therapist in Kyiv. “In war, there is no time for pleasure. There is no time for recreation.”
Erin Cunningham, Zeynep Karatas, Isabelle Khurshudyan, Kamila Hrabchuk and Rick Noack contributed to this report.