Ukraine’s national security and defense council called for the declaration of a state of emergency on Wednesday and urged its citizens to leave Russia. The emergency affects the entire country except for the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
A state of emergency would initially last 30 days and would escalate documentation and vehicle checks, among other measures. The state of emergency is expected to be approved by the Ukrainian Parliament within 48 hours before it takes effect.
“Across the territory of our country, apart from Donetsk and Luhansk, a State of Emergency will be introduced,” Secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov announced Wednesday.
“The main aim of the Russian Federation is to destabilize Ukraine from inside and achieve its objective. To prevent this from happening, we decided today and made this decision today,” he added.
Danilov continued, stating that “depending on the local circumstances, there may be stronger or milder measures to ensure the security of our country.”
He reiterated that transportation would be tightened and inspections of people’s documents would be conducted.
“These are all preventive measures in order to preserve peace and calm in the country and for the economy to continue to work,” he said.
The Independent reported that the Ukrainian Parliament backed a law to allow its citizens to carry firearms and placed sanctions against 351 Russians, including those who supported recognizing the independence of the two seperatist-controlled territories in the east.
Several countries, including the United States, have placed sanctions on Russia this week. Yesterday, Germany announced that it would halt certification of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
"With regard to the latest developments, we need to reassess the situation [with Russia and Ukraine] also with regard to Nord Stream 2. It sounds very technocratic but it is the necessary administrative step in order to stop certification of the pipeline," Chancellor Olaf Scholz told reporters in Berlin Tuesday.
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