Russia-Ukraine crisis: Kiev declares martial law as world powers condemn the seizure of ships by Putin's forces near Crimea
Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
Martial law was imposed in Ukraine for 30 days as president Petro Poroshenko warned of the “extremely serious” threat of a Russian land invasion.
The parliament voted in favour of the measure on Monday night in response to the capture of three Ukrainian navy vessels and twenty-three crew members by Russian ships near the Kerch Strait.
Russia’s actions were also condemned at emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, where US representative Nikki Haley described the incident as an “outrageous violation of sovereign Ukrainian territory.”
The secretary-general of Nato, Jens Stoltenberg, also said there was “no justification” for the seizure of the Ukrainian ships and sailors.
Meanwhile there there violent protests in Kiev and demonstrations outside Russian embassies across the world, including in London, Washington DC and Brussels.
It marked an escalation of tensions that have soared since Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and backed a separatist insurgency in eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine said its vessels were heading to the Sea of Azov in line with international maritime rules, while Russia charged that they had failed to obtain a permission to pass through the Kerch Strait separating Crimea from the Russian mainlan
It is the only passage between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. It is spanned by a 11.8 mile bridge that Russia completed this year.
While a 2003 treaty designates the Kerch Strait and Sea of Azov as shared territorial waters, Russia has sought to assert greater control over the passage since the annexation of Crimea.
The seizure of the Ukrainian ships followed a tense situation in which the three Ukrainian vessels were manoeuvring near the Kerch Strait for hours shadowed by Russian coast guard boats.
Following the capture of the Ukrainian ships on Sunday, Russia closed the Kerch Strait for sea traffic by positioning a tanker under the bridge spanning it. It reopened the route early Monday.
If you want to read how the situation developed, please read our live coverage below.
Please allow the blog a moment to load
Theresa May's spokesperson has said Britain condemns Russia's "act of aggression" against Ukraine, according to Reuters.
Meanwhile, nothing from Donald Trump on the incident in the Black Sea. The only public statement he has made is a tweet condemning "many" migrants as "stone cold criminals".
Angela Merkel told Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko she would do everything to try to defuse the standoff between Ukraine and Russia, Mr Poroshenko's office said after a phone call between the two leaders.
Russia has ignored Western calls to release three Ukrainian naval ships it fired on and captured near Crimea at the weekend and accused Kiev of plotting with its Western allies to provoke a conflict.
"Angela Merkel expressed concern about the escalation of Russian aggression with the use of weapons and said that she would do everything for de-escalation," a statement on Poroshenko's website said.
Here's the latest from Reuters on Petro Poroshenko's declaration of martial law in Ukraine:
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed a decree on Monday to introduce martial law for 60 days, a statement on his website said, though it needs parliamentary approval to come into force.
The decision came a day after Russia fired at and captured three Ukrainian vessels, triggering a sharp escalation in tensions between the two countries.
Parliament was expected to debate the decree later on Monday though a televised session of a parliamentary committee unanimously supported it.
Ukrainian legislation on martial law allows for a slew of curbs, including restrictions on movement and peaceful assembly, curfews, and restricting the media, though Poroshenko's decree made no specific references to such restrictions.
Eleven measures outlined in the decree provide for mobilizing reserve forces, organizing the air defence of important state facilities and taking urgent steps to bring in enhanced cyber security measures and ensure public order.
There was no mention of a presidential election due to be held in March. Poroshenko's move has prompted speculation by critics and opposition politicians that he might use it to delay the vote.
A twelfth provision of the decree was not published.
Jeremy Hunt, the foreign secretary, has just tweeted to condemn Russian actions in the Black Sea.
The Independent's Moscow correspondent, Ollie Carroll, is in Kiev following the latest developments from the national parliament:
Across Kiev city centre, there was little sign of the extraordinary day unfolding in its politics. It was a normal November day: snow, slush and never-ending traffic.
The few, mostly organised protests that had taken place in the morning had dissipated. Ahead of the vote - first scheduled for 4pm local time but delayed - there were perhaps two dozen outside parliament, one with a flag unfurled the wrong way up.
Right up until the opening of parliament, there was a long debate as to whether the session would be open or closed. In the event, they have chosen the former.
Deputies will be asked to ratify the president’s edict. We have the text but little idea of what it means. Though it does introduce a time limit of 60 days, little else limits the scope of this proposed martial law. It will cover the entire country. How and what restrictions it will introduce are not very clear.
Already democratically-minded parliamentarians are voicing fears about how the state of martial law could be used - perhaps to postpone presidential elections to a more favourable time politically. We know that President Poroshenko is trailing in the polls, hit by squeezed living standards and the continuing war in the East.
A majority are likely to vote to ratify president’s document, with several small opposition groups indicating they will back it. The big question is whether Poroshenko will get quorum.
Oleh Lyashko, the "clown" of Ukrainian politics on stage by speaker shouting "recess, recess." Presumably wants more negotiations, hasn't extracted the price he wants for his bloc's vote.
Dozens of masked Ukrainian nationalists hurled flares and eggs at the Russian consulate in the eastern city of Kharkiv on Monday.
Some of the protesters shouted "Death to the Russian occupants." A tree inside the consulate courtyard caught fire, causing a thick cloud of smoke to billow up into the sky.
Russia has ignored Western calls to release three Ukrainian naval ships it captured near Crimea and accused Kiev of plotting with its allies to provoke a conflict.
Kiev in turn accused Russia of military aggression and put its armed forces on full combat alert, saying it reserved the right to defend itself.
With relations still raw after Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and its backing for a pro-Moscow insurgency in eastern Ukraine, the crisis risks pushing the two countries towards a wider conflict.
Dozens of protesters had gathered outside the Russian embassy overnight in Kiev, where masked men threw flares before police intervened. "We gathered here today to express our protest against the Russians, over their actions today, over the shooting of our military," protester Oleksiy Ryabov said at the Kiev protest.
"We are very angry. We should have severed all diplomatic relations with this country a long time ago."
"We condemn Russia's act of aggression ... This incident provides further evidence of Russia's destabilising behaviour in the region," Theresa May's spokesperson told reporters.
"The UK position is clear, ships must be allowed free passage to Ukrainian ports in the sea of Azov. We urge all parties to act with restraint. Russia must not be allowed to use force to exert greater pressure on Ukraine."
272 members have signed to vote, physically present in Rada, says MP @Leshchenkos . Poroshenko needs 226 votes for martial law to pass. Prospect that president may not get his quorum, in which case vote will be be postponed. #Ukraine
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments