Ukraine’s parliament today approved the extension for another 90 days – until mid-May – of the martial law that has been declared in the country due to the Russian invasion, which began almost two years ago.

Martial law gives expanded powers to the armed forces and curtails civil liberties. Conscripts, aged 18-60, are not allowed to leave the country except in exceptional circumstances. The holding of presidential and parliamentary elections has been postponed.

In a video message, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said tonight that he had signed a decree to create a new branch of the armed forces dealing with “unmanned systems”. Noting that drones have already proven effective in land, air and naval operations, Zelensky appeared confident that the newly formed force will have clear results in the near future. “Thanks to drones, Ukraine has changed the situation in terms of security in the Black Sea,” he added.

The use of USVs – unmanned surface vessels, loaded with explosives – pushed the Russian Black Sea Fleet away from the southern coast of Ukraine and the waters around the Crimean peninsula. At the same time, the Ukrainian military has escalated its unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attacks against Russian forces.