KYIV, Ukraine, February 23 (Reuters) – In the face of worries of a Russian invasion, Ukraine will declare a nationwide state of emergency with special limitations in place to keep the country quiet and defend its economy.
On Wednesday, a senior Ukrainian security officer stated.
According to Oleksiy Danilov, the state of emergency will last for 30 days and can be extended for another 30 days. The decision must now be enacted by Parliament.
The authorities gain powers when they declare a state of emergency, and they can pick which ones to implement. Transportation limitations, enhanced protection for essential infrastructure, and a strike prohibition are all possibilities.
Curfews and other measures can be implemented by regional authorities, according to Danilov.
“These are precautionary measures to maintain calm in the country so that our economy and country can function,” Danilov explained.
Depending on the threats that may occur in specific territory, the state of emergency will be strengthened or lessened. “We’re talking about border areas where we share a border with Russia and Belarus,” he explained.
As Ukraine prepares for a possible military onslaught from Russia, which moved soldiers into eastern Ukraine this week to prop up two breakaway areas, it has implemented a range of measures, including the conscription of reservists.
Ukraine has not yet begun general mobilisation, according to Danilov.
Some MPs have encouraged the government to declare martial law, which might provoke a Russian response. According to Danilov, no such decision has yet been made.
“This provision will be adopted as soon as possible if necessary,” he said.
Harder restrictions, such as bans on meetings, movements, and political parties, would be imposed under martial law.
New procedures have been implemented, according to the state border guards agency, addressing the stay of foreigners near the border zone, the use of radios, drone flights, and the recording and photographing of certain people and buildings.
Except for the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, where the state of emergency has been in force since 2014, the state of emergency covers all of Ukraine.
Since 2014, Russian-backed rebels have had control of sections of Donetsk and Luhansk. This week, Russia recognised them as sovereign states and authorised the deployment of its troops abroad.
Danilov also claimed that President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and he had not addressed nuclear weapons development, which Russian President Vladimir Putin has described as a strategic threat to Russia.