Ukraine's Christmas Date Shift Sends Message to Russia

Ukraine has officially moved its Christmas holiday to 25 December, breaking with the Russian Orthodox church's tradition of celebrating it on 7 January. The move highlights the deepening rift between the churches in Kyiv and Moscow since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The new law aims to abandon the Russian heritage of imposing Christmas celebrations on 7 January and is part of a broader process of dismantling symbols associated with Russia, the Soviet Union, and communism.