The law in question, which dates back to 2002, has never been implemented to date, since Russia would have to face an “imminent threat of aggression”.
of Athena Papakosta
Vladimir Putin announced martial law in the fake-referendum annexed regions of Kherson, Zaporizhia, Donetsk and Lugansk. Is the Russian president just being pressured or is he preparing for revenge?
Martial law has been enforced despite the fact that Moscow does not control these four areas and despite all this, it has been considering them for a month, unilaterally, as Russian territory.
The law in question, which dates back to 2002, has never been implemented to date, since Russia would have to face an “imminent threat of aggression”.
Now it’s coming out of the drawer.
Ukrainian officials say Moscow has found a way to call more men to the front. This time from the – under Russian occupation – areas, while its armed forces are being pressured by the advance of the Ukrainians in the east and south of the country. After all, martial law provides for general or partial conscription, and already Russia has conscripted 300,000 men.
The new decree imposing martial law in these four regions allows authorities to impose curfews, seize property, resettle citizens in other areas, imprison undocumented immigrants, set up checkpoints and detain citizens for up to 30 days. And all this in light of the fact that the authorities will have the power to enact measures that “will meet the needs of the Russian armed forces” and “protect the territorial integrity” of the country.
The Russian president did not elaborate on the measures accompanying the imposition of martial law in the region. However, he introduced three different levels of alert throughout Russian territory, tightening security measures in his country.
The middle level includes eight Russian regions that are located on the border with Ukraine and movement restrictions are imposed. These are Krasnodar, Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Kursk and Rostov regions. Of course, Crimea is not absent from this category.
As regards the region to which Moscow belongs, a state of heightened alert is being established. In a message on social media, the mayor of Moscow, Sergey Sobyanin, tried to reassure Muscovites by emphasizing that “there will be no measures that will limit the normal pace of everyday life”. As Steve Rosenberg, the BBC’s correspondent in the Russian capital, notes, “that remains to be seen.” At the same time, throughout the rest of the Russian territory (northern Russia, Siberia and the Russian Far East) the alert level remains at the lowest level.
For better coordination of this three-level security operation, a special council is also being formed under the leadership of Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.
For their part, all the regions should set up operational headquarters which will be staffed by the regional governors and the representatives of the police and the army. As the Times of New York writes, the heads of the regions acquire additional powers. The newspaper also notes that “as in many laws in Russia there are provisions that leave room for wider interpretation”. “For example,” writes Valerie Hopkins, this law would allow the suspension of political parties, public organizations and religious groups and/or any activity deemed to undermine the defense and security of the Russian Federation.
The Russian president seems determined to maintain control and not back down, not domestically and certainly not in the ongoing war in Ukraine. Russian civilian evacuation operations in areas in the Kherson region, right of the Dnieper River, continue. So are Moscow’s accusations that Kyiv is preparing for a major (counter)attack without counting civilians.
The newly appointed commander of the Russian armed forces in Ukraine, Sergei Surovykin, admits that the situation in the region is tense. This is an unusual admission on the part of Russians – and even publicly – at a time when the Kremlin wants this “special military operation” as it calls it to be seen inside Russia as a success.
And everyone, taking into account the new facts after and the imposition of martial law, is waiting to see the Russian president make his next move in Kherson, that point on the map that borders the Crimean peninsula annexed in 2014 and was until now the only his victory in a war he has not yet won.
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I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
