As fierce Ukrainian resistance has slowed Putin’s invasion and dissent against the invasion grows among Russians, European Union officials fear Putin may declare martial law on Friday.
One week after the distant booms heard outside Kyiv in the pre-dawn hours signaled the beginning of the Russian advance, more than one million people have reportedly fled Ukraine and hundreds of military and civilian deaths have been reported as the Russian military continues to lay siege to cities all around Ukraine.
An EU official called the potential Russian plans for martial law “completely home-produced.”
“As is the tragic loss of young lives killed in the military conflict, with Russian mothers having to learn about the loss of their sons,” the official told Reuters. “So it is something we’re conscious of. And it’s something we’re worried about.”
What is martial law?
Martial law is when military rule temporarily substitutes civilian rule, invoked usually during a time of war or crisis, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. But the specifics of martial law vary by country.
President Volodymyr Zelensky declared martial law in Ukraine last week when Russian troops stormed into the country. Zelensky’s declaration bars Ukrainian men aged 18-60 from leaving the country.
Under martial law, the military steps in the place of civilian institutions like the police.
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What happens if Putin declares martial law?
The Russian Constitution gives Putin the power to declare martial law “in case of an aggression against the Russian Federation or of a direct threat of aggression,” requiring that he inform the Federation Council and the State Duma, Russia’s federal legislative chambers.
Martial law could give the Kremlin near absolute power to escalate with impunity its already punishing crack down on anti-war dissidents in the country, as the Russian Constitution offers little specifics about the limits of a martial law regime, stating only that it “shall be defined by the federal constitutional law.”
Thousands have already been arrested for engaging in anti-war protests and this week, the Russian legislature mulled a new law that would hand a 15-year jail sentence for people who spread “false news” about the war, according to the New York Times.
Instead of police, Russian soldiers would bear down on uncompliant citizens.
On Thursday reports surfaced that Russian citizens were hurrying to flee the country amid the news of the potential declaration, which many expect to be made by Putin in an address to the nation on Friday.
Martial law would further disrupt life for people in Russia who are already experiencing the economic effects of the strict sanctions levied on the country. The EU and the United States have also closed their airspace to Russian aircraft, making it especially difficult for people to escape the country.
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