Ukraine declares martial law after renewed tensions with Russia
  • 5 years ago
Ukraine has declared martial law after Sunday's capture of three of its naval vessels and 23 crew members by Russia.
For more on this and other news around the world we turn to our Ro Aram,.
Aram… what does the move mean?

Well Mark… Ukrainian lawmakers backed President Petro Poroshenko's request on Monday for martial law to be imposed for 30 days starting Wednesday.
He said the move was needed to strengthen national defenses against what he called a possible "invasion" by Russia.
It will also allow authorities to restrict public rallies and regulate the media.
However, the president insisted the decree would not curb civil liberties or lead to a delay in next year's presidential elections, scheduled for the end of March.
The renewed tensions began after the Russian coastguard opened fire on the Ukrainian vessels off the coast of annexed Crimea.
Ukraine said it was a Russian "act of aggression", while Moscow said the ships had illegally entered its waters.
Meanwhile, the renewed tensions have also sparked renewed pressure on Moscow, with western nations condemning its actions during a UN Security Council meeting.
Washington's envoy to the UN, Nikki Haley, described Russia's actions as an "outrageous violation of sovereign Ukrainian territory."
She added that sanctions on Russia would remain in place and any escalation by Moscow would only worsen ties.
A host of EU nations and Canada voiced similar sentiment, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel stressing the need for dialogue.
Russia's foreign ministry again blamed Kiev, saying its "planned provocation was aimed at igniting another source of tension in the region in order to create a pretext to ramp up sanctions against Russia."
Russia has summoned the ranking diplomat at Kiev's embassy in Moscow over the incident.
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