The freedoms of Ukrainians living in Kherson, Zaporizhia, Luhansk and Donetsk are likely to be significantly restricted once again. For example, there is curfew and military censorship; checkpoints are being created and freedom of movement restricted, as explained by Russian human rights lawyer Pavel Chikov.
Arrests of up to 30 days, confiscation of property, detention of foreigners and travel restrictions for Russian citizens abroad are also possible. Forced labor in armaments factories is also possible and eavesdropping on private telephone conversations must be officially permitted. Human rights activists fear that the situation in the affected regions, which already lived under martial law, will continue to deteriorate as the authorities have more powers.
Despite this drastic measure, Putin continued to call the fight against the neighboring country only a “special military operation”. He ordered the formation of a coordinating council led by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. This should improve cooperation between Russian authorities and the armed forces in Ukraine – for example, in the delivery of weapons.
Experts: All regions of Russia could be affected
Looking at the exact wording of Putin’s decree, Russian experts now also point out that basically every region of Russia could theoretically be affected in one way or another by martial law. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed fears that Russia would now close its borders to its own citizens.
This was not planned, he told the state-run Ria Nowosti news agency. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin also stressed that martial law in the four annexed areas will not affect everyday life in the capital “currently”.
Annexes in violation of international law in September
In late September, after several mock referendums, Putin annexed Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhia, in violation of international law. The stage is not internationally recognized. A few days ago, in a resolution by a large majority, the UN General Assembly urged Russia to undo the annexation of the partially occupied regions. However, the UN resolution is not binding under international law.
AP A woman during one of the controversial referendums at a polling station in eastern Ukraine
Putin justified the imposition of martial law by saying that Kyiv had refused to recognize the results of the September vote on Russia’s accession. “On the contrary, the bombing continues. Innocent people are dying,” Putin said. According to him, attempts to recapture Ukraine are now attacks on Russian territory.
Regardless of the state of war declared by Putin, Kyiv intends to continue the attempts to liberate the occupied territories. Moscow’s move doesn’t change anything, Ukrainian presidential cabinet aide Mykhailo Podoliak said on Twitter on Wednesday. “The introduction of martial law in the territories occupied by the Russian Federation should only be seen as a pseudo-legitimization of the looting of Ukrainian property (…),” he wrote. Ukraine will continue the liberation of the territories occupied by Russia.
Pro-Russian administration flees via Dnipro
The measures are seen as yet another reaction to the Ukrainian military’s repeatedly successful counter-offensive. The new commander-in-chief of the Russian armed forces in Ukraine, Sergei Surovikin, recently admitted to a “difficult situation” at the front in Ukraine’s Kherson region in an unusual TV appearance.
Kherson evacuation campaign began
In view of advancing Ukrainian troops, the evacuation of the regional capital in the Russian-occupied Kherson region of southern Ukraine has begun, according to pro-Russian officials. The pro-Russian administration announced on the Internet that the residents of Kherson would be moved from the west to the east bank of the Dnipro.
According to Russian sources, civilians will be banned from the region for seven days. In addition, apparently there is a large-scale evacuation operation – in view of a feared large-scale Ukrainian attack, the pro-Russian administration must also be evacuated from the city across the Dnipro River.
Russian army will defend city ‘to the death’
“From today, all government structures in the city, the civil and military administration, all ministries, will be transferred to the left bank of the river (from the Dnipro, ed.),” said the region’s pro-Russian chief administrator. from Kherson. , Vladimir Saldo, told Russian broadcaster Rossiya 24 on Wednesday.
While the Russian army will remain in the city and defend it “to the death”, according to Saldo, around 50,000 to 60,000 city residents will be taken to the east bank of the Dnipro or to Russia in the coming days.
Graphics: APA/ORF.at; Source: ISW
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Saldo’s deputy, Kirill Stremousov, called on the civilian population via the Telegram message service to leave the capital of Kherson in the eponymous region, where almost 300,000 people lived before the war. The Ukrainian military will soon begin an offensive in the city, Stremouzov said. “I ask that you take my words to heart and implement them: the quickest possible evacuation,” he wrote on Wednesday night.
According to Russian sources, the evacuation of the city has already begun. State media showed pictures of people being taken across the river by ferries. According to the TASS agency, residents of the area were informed of the plans by SMS. 5,000 people have already left Kherson in the last two days.
Surovikin speaks of “difficult decisions”
The situation can be described as tense, General Surovikin previously told Rossiya 24. He made “difficult decisions” in the room. He accused the Ukrainian military of bombing residential buildings and the city’s infrastructure. Artillery hits made crossings from Ukraine over the Dnipro impassable. This complicates the city’s supply.
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War in Ukraine: What Else Is Imminent?
“We will act carefully and in a timely manner, and we will not rule out difficult decisions,” Surovikin said. This was taken as an indication of a possible withdrawal. According to Russian information, the Ukrainian army has recently concentrated tens of thousands of troops in the southern region of Kherson. The situation is still “stable”, according to Stremousow – but an attack is expected.
“Popular Evacuation Show”
Ukraine, on the other hand, accused Russia of propaganda. “The Russians are trying to scare people in Kherson with fake bulletins, after which our army is bombing the city, and they are also preparing a propaganda show with the evacuations,” Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine’s presidential office, wrote in his telegram. Channel. “Advertising will not work.”
30 percent of E-Werks destroyed
The Russian military’s focus remains on military targets and energy facilities in Ukraine. The Russian Defense Ministry reported more air strikes on Wednesday. There was also an air raid alarm in Kyiv. According to AFP, several explosions can be heard in the Ukrainian capital. Several people have been killed in combat drone strikes in Kyiv in recent days. During the attacks on the energy infrastructure, there was a power outage in several regions of the country.
“The situation is now critical across the country,” the Presidential Office in Kyiv said on Tuesday. According to the head of state Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Russia destroyed 30% of Ukraine’s electricity plants in one week. More than 1,100 locations were without power as of Tuesday, according to state emergency services.
The Ukrainian Air Force says it has destroyed 223 Iranian drones since mid-September. Tehran has repeatedly denied supplying weapons and drones to Russia. However, as the European Union announced on Wednesday, it has “sufficient evidence” that the drones used by Russia against Ukraine originate from Iran. According to diplomats, ambassadors from EU countries are now preparing new sanctions against Iran.