A destroyed church in the village of Bohorodychne, Donetsk region, on January 4 (Picture: AFP)

Vladimir Putin is believed to have ordered a ceasefire in Ukraine set to last 36 hours to celebrate Russian Orthodox Christmas.

Russian troops have been told to stand down from noon on January 6 to midnight on January 7.

The war despot has instructed his defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, to introduce a ceasefire regime along the entire line of contact, the Kremlin announced.

He also called on Ukraine to mirror the ceasefire and allow combatants to attend Christmas services.

His orders come as 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.

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It is believed the Kremlin is planning new offensives against Ukraine from the north.

But Belarus claimed the weaponry was being supplied to its forces for defensive purposes.

This is a breaking news story, more to follow soon… Check back shortly for further updates.

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