President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky. Photo: Press Service of the President of Ukraine/AFP
The President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky recently announced that during the current martial law, the activities of at least 11 political parties in his country have been suspended due to their ties to the Russian Federation.
This was reported by Zelentsky in a video published on the website of the Ukrainian Council Presidency the The Security and National Defense Council of Ukraine has decided to suspend the activities of at least 11 political groupsamong which stand out: Opposition Platform For Life, Sharia Party, Our, Opposition Bloc, Left Opposition, Union of Left Forces, State, Progressive Socialist Party of Ukraine, Socialist Party, Socialists and Vladimir Saldo’s Bloc, among others.
“Any activity of various political parties will be suspended during martial law,” which was imposed on the same day that the Russian military operation began on Feb. 24, Zelenskyy argued.
The Justice Department was instructed to “immediately take comprehensive measures to ban the activities of these political parties in the prescribed manner,” it added.
This was stated by the President of Ukraine, chairman and founder of the Servant of the People party “Now everyone must look after the interests of our state.
“I would like to remind all politicians in all fields: wartime shows very clearly the lack of personal ambition of those who try to put their own ambitions, their own party or career above the interests of the state, the interests of the people,” he said Ruler.
Any activity by politicians “aimed at secession or collaboration will not succeed but will provoke difficult reactions,” he warned.
Photo: Sputnik.
Final negotiation commitments must be submitted to a referendum
That’s what Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy said on Monday the final compromises of the negotiations between Kyiv and moscow must be decided by a referendum held on the territory of ukraine.
The President specified that these are security guarantees for the country and decisions on issues related to the Crimean Peninsula and the Donbass region.
“People will have to comment on certain formats of commitments and give answers. But what they will be is already a subject of our talks and mutual understanding between Ukraine and Russia,” Zelenskyy said in an interview with state broadcaster.
At the same time, he pointed out that he described the situation in which Ukraine would agree to join NATO, but received guarantees in the area of its security from some members of the alliance, as “a normal compromise”.
The politician pointed out that Kyiv has no intention of giving in to the “ultimatums” which, according to him, the Russian side is debunking during the negotiations.
“We have an ultimatum, these are the points: carry it through and then we will end the war. This is wrong, it leads to nothing, to no result. The problem is not with me, the problem is again that the people and the power are united. Deliver, for example, Kharkov, Mariupol or Kyiv. Neither the people of Kharkov, nor Mariupol, nor Kyiv, nor I, the President, can do this,” said Zelenskyy.
UN forces insist on protecting civilians in Ukraine.
Humanitarian disaster in Mariupol
The head of the Russian National Defense Management Center, ColonelGeneral Mikhail Mizintsev, blamed units of Ukrainian nationalists for the incident serious humanitarian situation in the city of Mariupol (Donbass).
“There has been a terrible humanitarian catastrophe in Mariupol as a result of the anarchy of the Ukrainian nationalists. Desperate and furious, the bandits, realizing that Kyiv cannot help them, have spread mass terror in the neighborhoods of the city they still control. At the same time, the reliable information we receive proves the horrific atrocities committed by militia officers who were driven insane with desperation, he said.
The colonelgeneral stressed that the information received from radio listeners among the nationalists and their superiors in Kyiv reveals the anger they feel towards the central authorities for abandoning them.
Mizintsev called on the nationalists, as well as units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the socalled territorial defense, to lay down their arms and leave the city for the territory controlled by Kyiv.
“All those who have laid down their arms are guaranteed a safe exit from Mariupol and the preservation of their lives,” he said.
According to estimates from the Defense Portfolio, they currently exist in the city up to 130,000 civilians and 184 foreigners being held as “hostages”.
Russia bans Instagram and Facebook on its territory
A Moscow court recognized the activities of the the social networks Instagram and Facebook, owned by the company Meta Platforms, as extremist and banned their use on Russian territory.
The judge announced that the requests of the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office to “ban the activities” of the company are granted and the sentence takes effect immediately.
However, the ban does not extend to Whatsappalso owned by Meta, Neither citizens nor organizations are accused of extremism for using Facebook and Instagram.
The ruling bans Meta from having branches and doing business on Russian territory. The Prosecutor General’s Office and the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) are looking at the company’s activities are directed against the country and its armed forces.
On March 11, Russia’s Federal Service for Supervision of Telecommunications, Information Technology and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor) announced that it will restrict access to Instagram in the country.
The decision was taken at the request of the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office and is based on the fact that materials that “contain calls for acts of violence against citizens of Russia, including military personnel”.
On March 4, Russia also blocked access to Facebook on its territory, alleging discrimination Russian media from this platform. In particular, the social network blocked access to media such as Zvezda, RIA Novosti, Sputnik and RT.
(With information from Euronews and Russia Today)