The Ukrainian parliament approved the president of Ukraine’s decree on imposition of martial law in a number of regions at an extraordinary session late on November 26.
The presidential decree was approved by 276 votes, the CFTS portal reports.
Martial law was imposed for 30 days only in regions bordering the Russian Federation and Transdniestria, as well as in the regions that are accessible through the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. The affected regions are Chernihiv, Sumy, Vinnytsia, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Odesa, and Zaporizhia. Martial law was also imposed in Ukraine’s territorial waters of the Azov-Kerch basin.
In addition, the parliament voted to schedule presidential elections for March 31, 2019.
Earlier, the Ministry of Infrastructure announced that it was ready to redirect traffic if required by martial law. "The Ministry of Infrastructure is in a state of high readiness to implement all decisions to restrict or redirect traffic if such decisions are approved by the National Security and Defense Council and the government. The Ministry of Infrastructure is preparing the relevant proposals. They will be considered at a meeting in the ministry with the participation of the managements of the State Automobile Road Service (Ukravtodor), the Ukrainian Railways public joint-stock company (Ukrzaliznytsia), the Ukrainian Seaport Authority, the Ukrposhta postal company, airports, etc. Security measures and cyber defense at critical infrastructure facilities have already been stepped up," Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Omelian said.
Ukrzaliznytsia has also announced that it was ready to operate under martial law. “If the relevant decisions are adopted by the highest state bodies, the necessary measures will be taken as soon as possible to switch rail transport from peacetime operation to operation under martial law,” Ukrzaliznytsia’s head Yevhen Kravtsov said. "Passenger and freight trains will run according to timetable and on all routes not prohibited by law. Ukrzaliznytsia is ready to redirect cargo to other ports if the logistics of cargo transportation by sea routes changes, especially in the Azov region."
The Boryspil airport announced on November 26 that it was operating normally but added that it would abide by the parliament’s decision regarding the future legal regime. The airport expressed confidence that the parliament’s decision would not affect the population’s mobility.
