Ukraine’s president signs decrees extending martial law and troop deployment by 90 days
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky warned the country’s population of a long war against Russia and advocated extending martial law for another 90 days until August.
“Our Army and all those who defend the State need to have the legal means so that they can act with peace of mind.”, he said in a video published on Wednesday night (May 18, 2022).
The president signed and submitted for Parliamentary approval decrees extending martial law – declared in late February, shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – and the general deployment of troops for 90 days.
Zelensky said Ukraine was determined to regain control of the southern cities of Kherson, Melitopol, Berdyansk, Enerhodar and Mariupol.
“All our communities under occupation –under temporary occupation– must know that Ukraine will return”, declared the president.
He said conditions on the battlefields will determine how long it will take for the territory to return to Ukrainian control.
“We are trying to do this as quickly as possible. We are committed to expelling the occupiers and ensuring the real security of Ukraine.” said the president.
“Therefore, I signed decrees on the extension of the legal regime of martial law and the deadline for general mobilization. I hope that Parliament will support this decision in the near future”, he stated.
More than 2,000 Russian missiles
Zelensky said that Russia had already fired more than 2,000 missiles during its assault on Ukraine, which began on February 24, and that this would amount to much of Moscow’s arsenal. The president further said that most of the missiles hit civilian infrastructure and did not bring strategic military benefits. The most recent cities hit were Mikolaiv and Dnipro, in southern Ukraine, the Ukrainian president said.
In eastern Ukraine, Russian troops are still trying to completely capture the areas around Donetsk and Lugansk. According to the Ukrainian army, 15 civilians died in the region on Wednesday (May 18), including at least one child.
Ukraine’s Armed Forces claimed to have recaptured yet another village north of Kharkiv, the country’s 2nd largest city. In recent weeks, the Ukrainian army has pushed Russian troops north and northeast of Kharkiv further and further towards the border.
follow us on Facebook | twitter | YouTube| Whatsapp | app | Instagram | newsletter
#War #Russia #long #Zelensky #tells #population