Putin Declares Martial Law
(RightWing.org) – As Ukrainian troops continue to liberate captured territory, Russian President Vladimir Putin looks increasingly desperate. Now, he’s declared martial law in four occupied regions, giving him the powers needed for an even more brutal crackdown. The question is whether he can hold those regions long enough to make a difference.
Vladimir Putin declares martial law in Ukrainian regions https://t.co/UWAyGxTZRy
— UPI.com (@UPI) October 19, 2022
At the end of September, Putin declared that Russia had annexed four regions of Ukraine — Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhya. Global leaders immediately condemned the illegal annexations, and Ukrainian forces continued advancing into the areas despite furious threats from the Kremlin. Now, Putin has put the seized regions under martial law, giving his military the power to censor the media, impose curfews, detain people for up to 30 days without charges, seize property and vehicles, and forcibly conscript residents into the Russian army.
Putin claims martial law will stabilize the economy of the land he’s invaded, to “ensure a reliable future for Russia.” However, much of the land he’s talking about has been devastated by months of heavy fighting, and Ukraine’s defenders are steadily pushing the invaders out of it.
The Russian military is already evacuating the city of Kherson, with the front line now within 15 miles of the suburbs. The Russian strongman is talking tough, but if his troops can’t hold on to the land they’ve conquered, his martial law declaration means nothing.
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