Ukraine government resists calls for martial law in war-torn east

Introducing martial law in the war-torn regions of Donetsk and Luhansk will only delay the Ukrainian government’s victory over the pro-Russian terrorists, National Security and Defense Council Chair Andriy Parubiy told a television talk show on July 1. “If we will introduce martial law, that would completely change the command’s structure and its logic,” he said. “And truly, for the effectiveness of conducting the operation, it will be an unacceptable pause.” That’s why every member of the Council supported continuing the active phase of the anti-terrorist operation at its June 30 meeting. Parubiy was responding to demands by the pro-NATO Fatherland party and Svoboda parties to introduce martial law.

The Russian government can engage in open military aggression “at any moment and on any night” against Ukraine, Parubiy told the television show. The Ukrainian government is preparing for Russia to deploy its armies in direct involvement in the conflict. At the same time, “that’s not supposed to be a restraining factor for us to defend our land, our territory and our people from Russian fighters and marauders that are active in the east,” he said.

Pro-Russian terrorists used mortars to attack the border crossing at Novoazovsk in the Donetsk region the early morning of July 2, killing one soldier and injuring eight, reported the State Border Service. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s anti-terrorist operation took control of three Donetsk region towns on July 2 and a Luhansk region border post that were previously held by pro-Russian terrorists, reported the National Guard.

Russian President Vladimir Putin criticized Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko for renewing military action after the failed ceasefire at a meeting with Russian diplomats on July 1. “Until now Petro Alekseyovych didn’t have a direct relationship to orders on military action,” Putin said. “Now he took upon himself this responsibility.” He accused the global community of violating the norms of international law and elementary norms of decency, as well as engaging in politics of restraint, “which hadn’t ended after the Cold War,” he said. Russia had no right to leave Crimea’ s residents at the mercy of “militant nationalists and radicals,” Putin said, and for NATO’s armies to arrive on Crimean land. As for negotiations, “essentially they hadn’t yet begun,” he said. “An ultimatum was put forth on a truce.”

A resolution was nearly reached in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict the night of June 30 but fell through, German Foreign Minister Frank Walter-Steinmeier told the Global Media Forum in Bonn on July 1. The negotiations involved the diplomats of Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine. “Yesterday at about 10:00 p.m. we were very close to agreements, which later weren’t upheld in order to take decisive steps forward,” Steinmeier said. The agreements “would have resolved the crisis in Ukraine entirely, but they would have become more than a simple repose,” he said, adding that he was disappointed that Poroshenko called an end to the ceasefire as a result.

The parliamentary assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) approved a resolution on July 1 declaring Russia’s actions in Ukraine to be military aggression for the benefit of its own interests. The approved resolution condemns “the clear, gross and uncorrected violation of the Helsinki principles by the Russian Federation with respect to Ukraine, including the particularly egregious violation of that country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” It expresses regret regarding the armed invasion committed by forces controlled by Russia, as well as human rights violations that they continue to give rise to. Russia’s actions are unprovoked and based on absolutely groundless assumptions and pretexts, the resolution stated. The resolution has been annexed to the Baku Declaration, to be voted on July 2 by nearly 300 parliamentarians from more than 50 countries.

Zenon Zawada: Poroshenko had to renew military action because the Ukrainian public was growing weary of the ceasefire. Meanwhile, the martial law issue is becoming a political football, and it’s not as much a burning issue. Russia’s defiance of the global community is enough reason for the Ukrainian government to remain vigilant and merely confirms the ongoing military threat it poses to Ukraine.