STORY: In Ukraine, the sometimes violent fighting in the east of the country continues. In the now largely destroyed city of Bakhmut, neither side was able to gain decisive advantages. It is unclear how many fighters died on both sides. The information provided by Russia and Ukraine on soldiers killed varies widely and cannot be independently verified. For many civilians, the situation is unbearable. Those who stayed in Bachmut seek protection in aid centers. Lidya Dmytrivna, resident of Bakhmut: “All the noise is unbearable. We can’t sleep and there are no more windows in the apartment. I have everything I need, but no more windows. Everything is dark. We covered everything with foil , but that doesn’t help either. It’s hard to get up in the morning. Nobody could have imagined it. It’s very hard, tears every day. I’m standing here and I’m in tears.” Bakhmut is on a supply line between Donetsk and Luhansk. The takeover of the city, whose population has dwindled to just under 10,000 from more than 70,000 before the war, could be a springboard for Russia to advance towards two larger cities – Kramatorsk and Sloviansk. Meanwhile, Ukraine dismissed a Russian-announced ceasefire over Orthodox Christmas as hypocritical. Russia must first withdraw from the occupied territories, adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tweeted on Thursday. According to his office, Russian President Vladimir Putin had just instructed the defense minister that Russian troops cease firing between Friday 12 noon and Saturday midnight. He was referring to an appeal by the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, one of his close allies. The federal government in Berlin also reacted cautiously to the Russian announcement. It was noted in Berlin.