At the end of November in the Black Sea in front of the Kerch Strait, the Russian Coast Guard forcibly posted three Ukrainian boats with a crew of 24 men.
The cease-fire, which was in effect from 12:01 am onwards, was not fixed in time and was to go beyond Orthodox Christmas on 7 January, according to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
Similar agreements have been made since the beginning of fighting between government units and the separatists in the Donetsk and Luhansk areas. They were closed at Easter, at the start of school or at harvest time and usually broken within a few hours.
Merkel speaks out in the telephone conversation with Putin for Ukrainian sailors
A peace plan agreed in 2015, which should lead to a permanent ceasefire, is on ice. According to UN figures, more than 10,000 people have already been killed in the conflict.
Germany and France welcomed the agreement. The upcoming holidays should be „an opportunity for the sides to focus on the needs of the civilian population,“ said a joint statement by Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron.
In a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin Merkel also spoke again for the release of the arrested Ukrainian sailors, as the Deputy Spokeswoman for the Federal Government, Ulrike Demmer, announced at a free night in Berlin.
