A police officer stands on the road on Feb. 23, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Photo by Pierre Crom/Getty Images)
Ukraine has declared a state of emergency in all of Ukraine except for eastern Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts starting on Feb. 24.
The parliament approved the decree introduced by President Volodymyr Zelensky on Feb. 23, as the threat of Russia's all-out invasion of Ukraine continues to grow.
Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts already have a special legal status because of Russia’s ongoing occupation since 2014.
Restrictions introduced by the state of emergency are due to last 30 days and will vary depending on the region.
The state of emergency allows the authorities to temporarily limit the public’s constitutional rights.
The decree green-lights the following measures:
increased public order protection and security;
checks of identification documents of civilians and frisking if necessary;
ban on protests;
temporary or permanent evacuation of people from dangerous areas and providing them with accomodation;
ban on relocation of conscripts and reservists without notice;
ban on producing and spreading information that may "destabilize the situation";
ban on amateur radio transmitting devices.
Other measures that may be implemented "if necessary" include:
Alexander Query is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent. He is the former business editor at the Kyiv Post. He worked as a TV correspondent and an anchorman at UATV in Ukraine, and received a BA in modern literature from La Sorbonne, in Paris.
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