The Verkhovna Rada voted on May 22 to extend martial law and general mobilization in Ukraine. 

“The period of martial law in Ukraine is extended from 05:30 on May 25, 2022 for a period of 90 days,” reads a statement on the parliament’s website.

The decision was made by a majority of votes - 320 deputies out of 424 voted in favor.

However, this time the term for extending martial law was tripled.

Previously, it was extended twice, but each time for 30 days: the first time on March 20, since it was originally supposed to end on March 26, and the second on April 21.

The mobilization period was also extended by 90 days.

As Fyodor Venislavsky, the presidential representative in the Constitutional Court, explained during the telethon on May 22, the current prolongation is allegedly due to the plans of the country's authorities to launch a counteroffensive.

“Now we understand that the enemy has focused on the construction of fortifications in the temporarily controlled territories.

Going on the counteroffensive is a more difficult task than defending.

Therefore, we must be aware that we are unlikely to be able to liberate the entire territory of Ukraine within the next month, ”the UNIAN agency quoted Venislavsky as saying.

During the period of martial law, the authorities of Ukraine have the right to establish a curfew, restrict the freedom of movement of citizens, foreigners and stateless persons, as well as the movement of vehicles, establish a special regime for entry and exit, prohibit the activities of certain political parties, forcibly alienate property located in private or communal property, prohibit peaceful meetings, rallies and demonstrations.

  • The Verkhovna Rada

  • RIA News

Ripening discontent

However, not the entire population of Ukraine supports the military plans of Kyiv.

On the official website of the country's president, a petition is actively gaining votes against a ban on the travel abroad of men liable for military service.

Zelensky is also asked to review the order of conscription during mobilization, setting a priority for volunteers.

In addition, the signatories demand to toughen the responsibility of employees of military registration and enlistment offices and border checkpoints for corruption.

The collective request, which was posted on the website on May 18, gained 25,000 votes necessary to consider the petition in three days. 

However, in Kyiv they try to ignore the appeal from the citizens.

Volodymyr Zelensky was forced to comment on the petition only because he was asked this question at a joint press conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda on May 22.

But even then, the Ukrainian leader tried to evade the answer, transferring it to a different plane.  

“You know, I ... I probably don’t fully understand who this petition is for - this petition for me?

Or maybe this petition should be ... addressed to the parents of those soldiers who lost these people, because they defended Ukraine at the cost of their lives - this or that region, this or that region, this or that city.

And, you know, for the most part, not their city, where they, these warriors, were born.

Not your city.

When today from 50 to 100 people can die in our most difficult direction, in the direction of the east of our state ... They protect our state and our independence, which they talk about so much, ”Zelensky said.

The Kyiv authorities are also trying to stop men who want to leave Ukraine with threats of criminal prosecution.

On March 17, Rada deputies submitted for consideration a bill on a prison term for those liable for military service, reservists and persons subject to mobilization for illegal departure from the country during martial law.

Violators are proposed to be imprisoned for a term of five to ten years with possible confiscation of property.

In addition, from 7 to 12 years in prison threatens military personnel and border guards who facilitate illegal exit from the country. 

  • Ukrainian refugees on the Polish border

  • AP

  • © Emilio Morenatti

Untimely Dialogue

Meanwhile, Kyiv's Western partners continue to make efforts to prolong hostilities on the territory of Ukraine, supplying the Kyiv regime with various types of weapons and allocating large sums for their acquisition. 

So, on May 21, US President Joe Biden signed a bill providing for the allocation of $40.1 billion to Kyiv in the form of additional appropriations.

Of this amount, more than half will go to the defense and security of Ukraine and its European neighbors, Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova specified on Facebook *.

Earlier, on May 16, after the meeting of the Council of the European Union, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, announced that the EU foreign ministers agreed on the allocation of another €500 million from the European Peace Fund for military assistance to Ukraine.

Thus, the total amount of funds provided by Brussels for the military needs of Kyiv reached €2 billion.

At the same time, the West does not make any efforts to ensure that Kyiv establishes a dialogue with Russia.

At the moment, negotiations between the countries are suspended, as they have reached an impasse.

According to the head of the Russian delegation for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, Vladimir Medinsky, their "freezing is entirely the initiative of Ukraine."

Lack of subjectivity

Experts interviewed by RT agree that the current extension of martial law and mobilization in Ukraine, and even for such a long period, once again confirms the lack of independence of the Kyiv authorities and their commitment to the interests of Western partners.

“This step indicates that the United States makes decisions for Ukraine, so the fight against the Russian Federation will continue.

At the same time, the myth of the invincibility of the Ukrainian military is slowly being debunked by events such as the surrender of the "defenders" of Azovstal," said Vladimir Shapovalov, deputy director of the Institute of History and Politics of the Moscow State Pedagogical University, in an interview with RT.

“A significant part of the population comes to the realization that this is not their war, that they were dragged into a monstrous adventure, that their lives in this case were brought not on the altar of protecting their homeland, but for the interests of the United States, Great Britain and other Western countries,” the expert believes. .

However, the current Kyiv authorities are too dependent on Western curators to not follow their course, Shapovalov added. 

“After all, for them the situation with Ukraine is good from all sides.

This is also an opportunity to inflict damage on Russia by proxy, and stimulate your military-industrial complex.

For example, if we consider the notorious $40 billion that Washington promised Kyiv, then after all, the lion's share of them will remain in the United States and go to the development of the American military-industrial complex, ”the expert explained.

For the same reasons, Western countries are in no hurry to give Kyiv the go-ahead to negotiate peace with Russia, says Andrei Manoilo, Doctor of Political Science.

“The curators, apparently, believe that it is too early for them to talk with Moscow through Kyiv about the future.

They are waiting for this conflict to wear us down, using the human resource supplied by Ukraine, which has fallen under the direct control of the West.

And this resource will be used to the limit.

And only when it is finally depleted, it can be expected that the bloodless Ukraine will be given a chance for real negotiations, ”the analyst said in a comment to RT.

The dialogue between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations stopped for nothing after the negotiators began to draw common points for agreements, Vladimir Shapovalov believes.

“In Istanbul, Ukraine for the first time outlined a promising position on possible agreements, allowing the refusal to join NATO.

However, the United States probably considered this premature.

Therefore, when there was a feeling that there could be some serious progress on the part of Ukraine towards the Russian position, the Americans quickly intervened and pulled the stopcock, switching everyone's attention to the provocation in Bucha.

The United States is not interested in a speedy resolution of the situation in Ukraine, as they are not sure that the outcome will be in their favor, ”the expert concluded. 

* Meta product, activity recognized as extremist, banned in Russia by decision of the Tverskoy Court of Moscow dated 03/21/2022.