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In response to
"Iran sends drone trainers to Crimea to aid Russia’s military."
by
crash davis
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Putin declares martial law in occupied Ukraine in an effort to tighten control.
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MOSCOW — President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia declared martial law on Wednesday in four regions of Ukraine that Moscow recently annexed but that it does not fully control, a move that would allow the pro-Russian authorities to impose even tighter restrictions, including forced relocations, as Moscow fights to hold off Ukraine’s military advances.
Separately, Mr. Putin said he was handing more power to regional governors in areas of Russia, which would allow for significantly more restrictive measures to be introduced at home.
A presidential decree announced martial law in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions — whose annexation by Russia last month has been condemned internationally as illegal. Russia has suffered weeks of setbacks on the battlefield, and its proxies in the southern region of Kherson have begun relocating civilians in apparent anticipation of a major fight for the regional capital.
Moscow has been ordering residents of the region living west of the Dnipro River to evacuate before a possible Ukrainian counteroffensive, a move that Kyiv has dismissed as scaremongering. Just before Mr. Putin’s speech, state television showed videos of people evacuating by boat.
Experts said it was the first time the Kremlin had declared martial law since World War II — a remarkable move as Mr. Putin continues to call his invasion of Ukraine a “special military operation” rather than a war.
“I signed a decree on the introduction of martial law in these four constituent entities of the Russian Federation,” Mr. Putin said at the start of a meeting of his Security Council via videoconference, referring to the four Ukrainian regions that the Kremlin unilaterally declared to be part of Russia. “In addition, in the current situation, I consider it necessary to give additional powers to the leaders of all Russian regions.”
As of late last month, the Russian army controlled most of the Luhansk and Kherson regions and about half of the Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions.
Martial law in the four annexed territories would allow the authorities to impose curfews, seize property, forcibly resettle residents to another region, imprison undocumented immigrants, establish checkpoints and detain people for up to 30 days.
The president also ordered the creation of territorial defense forces, a type of civilian militia, in the four annexed regions, raising the possibility that Moscow’s forces may try to conscript Ukrainians into fighting their own forces.
The drive to compel Ukrainians to fight against other Ukrainians is part of a broader effort to mobilize hundreds of thousands of new fighters as its forces suffer huge casualties amid Ukraine’s push to retake territory.
Mr. Putin has grappled with growing anger at home over his call-up of about 300,000 reservists to fight in the war. Protests have erupted in far-flung cities, recruitment centers have been the target of arson, and thousands of military-age men have packed planes and vehicles to flee across Russia’s borders.
The separate decree allows for significantly more restrictive measures to be introduced in regions across Russia, including in Moscow, to more tightly control critical infrastructure facilities, public transit and communications. According to Mr. Putin, the regional leaders will be given additional powers “to ensure security.”
Mr. Putin said both of the new decrees would immediately be sent to Parliament for approval.
As with many Russian laws, there are provisions that allow for broad interpretation. For example, the law would allow for the suspension of activities of political parties, public organizations and religious groups, or any activity deemed to undermine Russian Federation’s defense and security.
— The New York Times
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