MADRID, 19 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday decreed martial law in the Ukrainian regions of Lugansk, Donetsk, Zaporiyia and Jershon, the four territories Russia claims as its own after fraudulent referendums held in September.
Putin has announced the decree at a meeting of the Security Council, stating that it is limited to formalizing a situation that already exists ‘de facto’. Now, the text is subject to the approval of the two chambers of the Russian Parliament, a mere formality.
The Russian president has accused the Ukrainian government of not recognizing the democratic expression of the citizens of the four regions and of refusing to negotiate. “The bombing continues. Civilians are dying,” Putin lamented, according to the Interfax news agency.
Russia claims its right to apply all its laws on the occupied regions, although it does not even control all of its territory. The pro-Russian authorities in Kherson reported on Wednesday the start of an offensive in the area by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.