Russia could impose martial law after parliamentary vote, report says
Vladimir Putin, Kremlin leader (photo: Getty Images)
Russian officials do not rule out that after the State Duma elections, martial law or certain elements of it may be officially introduced in the country, according to the Russian edition Vyorstka.
According to the media outlet, several sources in federal and regional government bodies of the Russian Federation, as well as in the leadership of one of the opposition Duma factions, provided this information.
Thus, according to federal legislation, to implement such a measure, a presidential decree specifying the date and time of the commencement of martial law would be sufficient.
If this happens, it would effectively mean severe restrictions. Among them:
- "Freezing" the activities of parties and public organizations;
- Ban on any mass gatherings;
- Cancellation of all elections;
- Total censorship;
- Curfew and restrictions on citizens' movement;
- In addition, authorities would have the right to mobilize civilians and their property for defense-related work.
Two political strategists working with the Kremlin said that this scenario is supported by 'some security officials who have long believed that it was time to stop being coy' with the population and to wage war with the entire country.
"A trigger could be a failure at the front or in recruitment into the army," one of the aforementioned political strategists suggested.
At the same time, an interlocutor in the leadership of one of the Duma factions noted that 'the country's situation is becoming increasingly serious' and that without extreme measures, it may not be possible to stabilize the situation.
At the same time, the source says that a decree from Russian leader Vladimir Putin may not happen, as it would destroy the system of maximum non-involvement of Russians in military affairs.
Some martial law measures are already effectively in place in Russia. An example is military censorship, under which publishing information that contradicts the official position of the Ministry of Defense could result in criminal penalties for media workers and loss of license for the media outlets themselves.
The Russian edition also added that martial law is currently in effect in parts of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions that are captured and under the control of Russian forces.
Mobilization in Russia
A few days ago, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Putin still fears holding an open mobilization. But despite this, after the State Duma elections, he plans to mobilize between 300,000 and 500,000 Russians into the Russian army.
In addition, the Russian leader intends to obtain about 30,000 new soldiers from North Korea.
Yesterday, the head of the State Duma Defense Committee, Andrey Kartapolov, stated that Russia supposedly has no need for a new wave of mobilization.
At the same time, on the same day, Putin signed a decree on another increase in the size of the Russian army. It was his third such decree this year.
We also wrote that yesterday, the Russian leader instructed to prepare the budget for continuing the war for another three years.
