The month of special treatment: the Verkhovna Rada approved the introduction of martial law in a number of regions of Ukraine

On Monday evening, November 26, the Verkhovna Rada, during an extraordinary meeting, approved a decree by the President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, to impose martial law in certain areas of the country. For this decision, 276 deputies voted for the required 226. The special regime will take effect from 9:00 on November 28 and will last 30 days.

“The decree on the introduction of martial law implies that this provision is valid only in the regions of Ukraine located along the Russian border, the Transnistrian segment of the Ukrainian-Moldovan border, along the coast of the Black and Azov seas. It is there where a blow can be struck, ”Poroshenko wrote on Twitter.

Thus, martial law will be introduced in 10 of 24 regions of Ukraine: Vinnitsa, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhya, Luhansk, Nikolaev, Odessa, Sumy, Kharkov, Kherson and Chernihiv regions, as well as in the internal waters of the Azov-Kerch water area.

Recall that on the night of Monday, November 26, the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) during a meeting chaired by Poroshenko proposed to impose martial law in the country due to the detention of three Russian naval ships by Russia, which violated the state border of the Russian Federation. The Ukrainian president supported this initiative.

At the same time, the initial version of the document assumed that martial law would be introduced for 60 days. However, during consultations in the Verkhovna Rada, it was decided that the special regime was introduced for 30 days.

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“Martial law is exclusively for the defense of Ukraine,” Poroshenko wrote on Twitter.

After the Verkhovna Rada made a decision on the imposition of martial law in a number of areas, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, wrote: “They also resented that the Maidan authorities called the junta. The junta as it is. The guys revealed in full. "

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian president also promised that he allegedly did not intend to take any measures related to the restriction of the rights and freedoms of citizens, as well as the introduction of censorship, and called on Ukrainian politicians and the media to act "responsibly and adequately" in the current situation.

According to him, of all the options that are incorporated into the law “On the legal regime of martial law”, only a few have entered into the decree “On the introduction of martial law”. They concern mainly various military activities.

• NSDC Secretary Alexander Turchinov, Prime Minister Vladimir Groisman and Foreign Minister Pavel Klimkin at the Rada meeting
• Reuters
• © VALENTYN OGIRENKO

“We need to strengthen security right now. Events that, in the event of an invasion, will allow us to respond faster, to mobilize all the resources as quickly as possible ... Especially since the guys from the first wave of the reserve, who already have combat experience, are ready to pack packs right now. Resources will be mobilized, both human, and weapon, and financial, ”Poroshenko said.

The President added that while the announcement is not planned, neither full nor partial mobilization. However, he left this opportunity open, "only if Russia continues further escalation."

The presidential decree on the introduction of martial law will be officially promulgated along with the law on the approval of this decree and will enter into force "simultaneously with the entry into force of such a law."

It is worth noting that Kiev blames Moscow for the escalation of the situation in the Kerch Strait. However, it was the Ukrainian ships that violated the state border of the Russian Federation, and then did not respond to the demands of the Russian border guards.

In this case, the FSB reported that on board one of the three ships that were detained for violating the border, there were two officers of the SBU, who coordinated the provocation by the Ukrainian Navy. At the same time, one of the Ukrainian captain, who headed the transfer of the ships, reported that he intentionally ignored the demands of the Russian border guards.

We add that the decree on the introduction of a special regime on the territory of a number of regions separately stipulates that the presidential election in Ukraine will take place on March 31, 2019. The decision was supported by 298 deputies of the Verkhovna Rada. According to the chairman of the parliament, Andriy Parubiy, he put this question to a vote in order to “remove any questions and conjectures regarding the holding of the presidential elections in Ukraine.”

Speaking to parliamentarians, the President of Ukraine justified his agreement to reduce the period of imposition of martial law from 60 to 30 days: “So that martial law does not overlap with the beginning of the election campaign for a single day. So that no one of those who cares about their political interests more than their nation or Ukrainian interests, now has no basis for dirty political speculations or insinuations. ”

“It is in December, in early December, I will submit a draft decision of the Parliament on the date of the presidential election, which according to the constitution should take place on March 31, 2019. Point, "- said Poroshenko.

It is worth adding that in the summer, one of the favorites of the presidential race and the leader of the Batkivshchyna party, Yulia Tymoshenko, said that Petro Poroshenko plans to thwart the presidential elections in the country through escalating hostilities and imposing martial law in the country. Later, a similar point of view was expressed by many analysts, who noted that this is actually the only scenario in which the current president will be able to remain in power.