Faced with the push of the Ukrainian army, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered, on Wednesday October 19, the establishment of martial law in the four Ukrainian territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporijia, partly occupied by Moscow and officially annexed by the Russian Federation in September.
Mr. Putin announced this measure during a meeting of his security council broadcast on television. Martial law will come into effect from Thursday at midnight, a measure ” void “reacted the Ukrainian diplomacy.
These territories “had instituted martial law before joining the Russian Federation, but [il était] necessary to formalize this regime by following Russian legislation”, Mr. Putin said. He justified this measure by saying that kyiv refused to negotiate with Moscow and continued, according to him, to “bombard” the civilian population in these areas.
“The Neo-Nazis [Ukrainiens] openly use terrorist methods. (…) They are sending groups of saboteurs to our territory”he added, denouncing in particular the attack on the Crimean Bridge and “nuclear infrastructure”without specifying which ones.
Enhanced security regime
According to the published decree, the Russian government must within three days propose concrete measures to be applied in these territories. The Russian Constitution provides for a series of provisions in the event of the establishment of martial law (which is referred to in Article 87): reinforcement of security measures, curfew, ban on public gatherings, evacuation of strategic companies, ban on leaving the territories concerned, isolation of foreign citizens, establishment of military censorship in telecommunications …
Vladimir Putin now finds himself in a “incredibly difficult situation”, commented from the White House Joe Biden. “It would seem that the only tool left at his disposal is to persecute Ukrainian citizens” in order to “bullying them into surrender, but that’s not what they’re going to do”added the American president.
the decree signed by Mr Putin also establishes a reinforced security regime, qualified as “mid-level reaction regime”, in the Crimean peninsula annexed in 2014, as well as in the Russian regions of Krasnodar, Rostov-on-Don, Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh and Kursk, located near Ukraine. In the central federal district, where the capital Moscow is located, a reinforced alert system has also been established, according to this decree.
This strengthened regime in Moscow will not lead ” at this stage “ daily change for the inhabitants of the Russian capital, said its mayor, Sergei Sobyanin. “No measures are in place to limit the normal pace of life in the city”he pointed out. “In application of decrees [signés par M. Poutine]we will take the necessary measures to improve the security of civilian facilities and (…) reviews »said the mayor of Moscow, where the police presence is already important.
Fear of “deportation” of Kherson residents
In addition, the Russian administration of the Ukrainian region of Kherson assured, Wednesday, that the evacuations of civilians had started. She plans to move “50,000 to 60,000” in a few days on the other bank of the Dnieper, while the Russian army is struggling to contain the Ukrainian counter-offensive in the area.
For the secretary of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council, Oleksi Danilov, we are rather witnessing “the preparation of the mass deportation of the Ukrainian population” to Russia “in order to modify the ethnic composition of the occupied territories”. “A crime which should be condemned by the United Nations and which has already been committed in Crimea”he added.
“Russia is carrying out deportations, as in Soviet times”declared, for his part, Serguiï Khlan, Ukrainian deputy for the region. Its purpose is to create a kind of panic in Kherson and an image [pour alimenter] Propaganda “ Russian. “If you take a look at the list of things employees recommend to take with them, it’s a list of things for a one-way trip”further castigated Mr. Khlan, stating that, according to him, the inhabitants of Kherson would be evacuated not to the Crimean peninsula, bordering the region, but to that of Krasnodar, in the Kuban, in Russia itself.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has also warned the inhabitants of the annexed regions against a campaign of forced recruitment by the Russian army. “Try to leave the occupied territory. And if you can’t do it and end up in Russian military units, try at the first opportunity to lay down your arms and go towards the Ukrainian positions”he launched.
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