Ukraine's main church to switch calendar in move away from Russia

FILE PHOTO: A stork sits on the cross of an Orthodox Church of Ukraine church, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the village of Hrabivtsi, Vinnytsia region, Ukraine April 23, 2023. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich/File Photo

KYIV (Reuters) - Ukraine's main Orthodox church said on Wednesday it had decided to switch to a calendar in which Christmas is celebrated on Dec. 25, a move that distances it from Russia.

Ukrainian Christians, a majority of whom are Orthodox, have traditionally celebrated Christmas on Jan. 7 alongside other predominantly Orthodox Christian countries such as Russia, which invaded Ukraine last year.