This initially refers to the next 30 days, said the Secretary of the Security Council, Oleksiy Danilov, on Wednesday in Kiev. Among other things, curfews are possible. In addition, the call-up of reservists began. The armed forces said that men between the ages of 18 and 60 were affected.
Increased police presence and the right to arbitrary checks of people and cars would also be permitted by the state of emergency. Parliament’s approval is still pending, but is considered certain. A special state of emergency has been in force in the eastern Ukrainian separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk since 2014.
On Wednesday, the Ukrainian parliament approved a change in the law that would make it easier for civilians to use weapons in self-defense. The final second reading could follow soon.
At the same time, the Ukrainian government called on all compatriots to leave Russia. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kiev publishes a corresponding notice, which also warns against traveling to Russia.
In the conflict area itself, international observers have again registered more than 1,000 explosions. According to a report by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) mission, the Luhansk region was particularly hard hit, with 1,224 “truce violations”, including 1,149 explosions. In the Donetsk region, the number stood at 703 violations, including 332 explosions.
Again, seven dead were reported on both sides. According to the government troops, one person was killed and six injured. The separatists reported one dead and five wounded militants. Five civilians were also killed. These charges could not be independently verified.
Meanwhile, newly acquired satellite images show further Russian military activities near the border with Ukraine. The US-based company reports the deployment of more than 100 military vehicles and dozens of troop tents in southern Belarus, bordering Ukraine. A new field hospital has also been built at a military garrison in western Russia.
In any case, EPP Group Chairman Manfred Weber expects a Russian invasion of Ukraine. The fact that Russian President Vladimir Putin also recognized the separatist areas in the east on territory previously under Ukrainian control “suggests that military escalation is now taking place,” the CSU politician told ZDF morning magazine. “No one knows how far he wants to go, but we have to face the worst scenario – that there really will be a war and the occupation of Ukraine.” It cannot be tolerated that Russia moves borders under threat of military force.
The British government also believes in a Russian attack on Kiev. “We think it is very likely” that Russian President Vladimir Putin will “implement his plan for a large-scale invasion of Ukraine,” said British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss. It is still uncertain whether Russian troops have already moved into the Donbass or not. “We do not yet have verified evidence that this has taken place,” Truss tells LBC radio.
Source: Nachrichten
