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Kyiv's parliament approves martial law in ten regions
Summary
A look back at the Verkhovna Rada vote that followed the Kerch Strait confrontation.
What did Ukraine's parliament decide after Russian forces seized Ukrainian naval vessels in the Kerch Strait? On 26 November 2018, the Verkhovna Rada approved the introduction of martial law in 10 oblasts, to take effect on 28 November 2018 for a period of 30 days.
The vote followed the incident of 25 November 2018, when the Russian Federal Security Service coast guard fired upon and captured three Ukrainian Navy vessels. The ships had been trying to pass from the Black Sea into the Sea of Azov on their way to the port of Mariupol. It was the first time Russian forces had openly engaged Ukrainian forces during the Russo-Ukrainian War.
The road to the vote
On 25 November 2018, an emergency meeting of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine was convened in response to the Russian blockade of the Kerch Strait and the seizure of the vessels. Afterwards, President Petro Poroshenko said he would ask the Verkhovna Rada to support a declaration of martial law. Parliament was set to hold an emergency meeting at 4 p.m. local time on 26 November.
The Rada's approval the next day confirmed the measure for 10 oblasts rather than the whole country, with a fixed duration of 30 days from 28 November 2018.
