Russian Orthodox Church

Christ is born! Merry Christmas!

Patriarch Porfirije will serve the holy bishop's liturgy at the seat of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the Patriarchate of Pec.
Patriarch will serve the morning liturgy, starting at eight o'clock, Tanjug was told in the Serbian Orthodox Church.
In the Church of St. Sava in Belgrade, the celebration of Christmas will begin with the service of the midnight liturgy.

Ukrainians defy Moscow with first Dec 25 Christmas

Many Ukrainians will on Monday celebrate Christmas Day on Dec. 25 for the first time, after the government changed the date from the Orthodox Church observance of Jan. 7 in a snub to Russia.

Ukraine passed a law in July moving the celebration to Dec. 25, the day when most of the Christian world marks Christmas.

Bulgarian Authorities Take Action Against Russian Correspondent, Prompting Diplomatic Friction

The Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has revoked the accreditation of Alexander Gatsak, a correspondent for "Rossiyskaya Gazeta" (Российская газета), in a move that has triggered significant tensions. The decision, which lacks a clear explanation, also involved threats of extradition, as reported by the newspaper's press service and cited by BTA.

The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the Bulgarian Ambassador to Moscow and Threatened with Consequences

The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the Bulgarian ambassador Atanas Krastin today to express to him "a firm protest in connection with the forced removal from Bulgaria under a fabricated pretext, in a blasphemous and insulting manner" of Nikolay Zmeev (Archimandrite Vasian), a representative of the Russian Orthodox Church in Sofia.

Putin orders weekend truce in Ukraine, Kiev won't take part

The impact of Russian President Vladimir Putin's order for his forces in Ukraine to observe a unilateral, 36-hour cease-fire was in doubt on Jan. 6 after Kyiv officials dismissed the move as a ploy but didn't clarify whether Ukrainian troops would follow suit.

Moscow also didn't say whether it would hit back if Ukraine kept fighting.

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