THE Ukrainian Orthodox Church announced today that it has decided to change its calendar and celebrate Christmas on December 25, in a move that distances itself from Russia.

Ukrainian Christians, the majority of whom are Orthodox, traditionally celebrated Christmas on January 7 along with other predominantly Orthodox Christian countries such as Russiawhich invaded Ukraine last year.

“This question arose with a new impetus as a result of it aggression of Russia” the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (OEC) wrote in a Facebook post announcing the change from the Julian calendar.

“In this day and age, the Julian calendar is perceived as related to the culture of the Russian Church,” the statement said.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church has announced that it will use the Revised Julian calendar from September 1, the start of the liturgical year. It also states that parishes will have the option of celebrating a feast according to the old Julian calendar.

Ukraine’s culture minister had previously expressed his support for the calendar change, calling it “appropriate for the demands of our times and public opinion”.

Ukraine’s main Catholic Church, followed by one in 10 Ukrainian believers, made a similar announcement in February.