Vladimir Putin orders 36-hour CEASEFIRE with Ukraine in first break of brutal & bloody war even as he masses troops

PUTIN has ordered a 36-hour ceasefire on the Ukraine frontline in the first break in fighting since the start of the war. Putin instructed his defence minister Sergei Shoigu to introduce a ceasefire regime along the entire line of contact from 12:00 on January 6 to 24:00 on January 7, the Kremlin reported. ReutersPutin has ordered a 36-hour ceasefire to coincide with Orthodox Christmas celebrations[/caption] The ceasefire will coincide with Orthodox Christmas which is celebrated on January 7. Shoigu called on Ukraine to mirror the ceasefire and allow combatants to attend Christmas services.  Despite the ceasefire, footage showed 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. The move of hardware to Belarus comes as Russia is believed to be planning new offensives against Ukraine from the north.  But Belarus claimed the weaponry was being supplied to its forces for defensive purposes.  Yet Putin is pressing Belarus dictator Alexander Lukashenko to play a more active role in the war. “The decision to create a regional grouping of troops on the territory of Belarus was made and is being implemented solely in the interests of strengthening the protection and defence of the Union State, based on the current situation near our borders,” said the Belarus defence ministry. “Personnel, weapons, military and special equipment of the armed forces of the Russian Federation will continue to arrive in the Republic of Belarus.” The ministry said “combat coordination activities” were planned as well as air force drills. “Joint training of the Belarusian and Russian components of the regional grouping of troops is complex in nature and covers not only the combat component, but also all supporting systems,” the ministry said. THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY… The Sun is your go to destination for the best celebrity news, football news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Download our fantastic, new and improved free App for the best ever Sun Online experience. For iPhone click here, for Android click here.  Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheSun and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.