Foreign Ministry: Martial law in occupied territories 'imposed' to suppress local resistance

In an official statement published on Oct. 19, the Foreign Ministry wrote that the goal of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin's declaration of martial law in Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts was to "suppress the resistance of the residents (of these oblasts) who oppose the Russian occupation.

Putin's declaration "has no legal consequences for Ukraine and its citizens, as well as for the international community," the statement reads.

"Despite the agony of the regime in the Kremlin, Ukraine will continue to liberate the occupied territories and save its people."

The martial law "decree," set to "come into force" on Oct. 20, gives local proxies the power to forcibly relocate residents, control the movement of people, as well as other measures.