Putin orders martial law in occupied Ukrainian areas as Kyiv’s forces gain ground – By Charles Maynes & Julian Hayda (NPR) / Oct 19, 2022
MOSCOW and KYIV — Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered martial law in four Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine on Wednesday — signaling his growing frustration over Ukrainian advances in territory Russia illegally annexed last month.
Speaking to his Security Council by video feed, Putin said the martial law order would take effect early Thursday in the occupied Ukrainian territories of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
Putin framed the move as driven by the Ukrainian government’s failure to accept the results of staged referendums in the four regions that were widely denounced by the international community as a sham.
“As is well-known, the regime in Kyiv has refused to recognize the will of the people. They deny any attempts at negotiations. They continue with shelling, civilians are dying,” Putin said. “We are trying to resolve difficult large-scaled challenges on providing security to Russia and protecting the future of Russia, defending our people.”
