The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has scheduled presidential election for March 31, 2019.

A total of 298 parliamentary members backed respective draft resolution, when 226 votes were enough to pass the decision, the Ukrainian News Agency reports.

 Calling of the next regular presidential election for the said date was one of the demands of a number of parliamentary factions during the voting for imposition of martial law.

 In compliance with the Law of Ukraine On Legal Regime Of Martial Law, holding presidential election under martial law is prohibited.

 As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, the Verkhovna Rada has approved imposition of martial law for the period of 30 days starting November 28, 9 a.m. </s> Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed a decree on Monday to introduce martial law for 60 days, a statement on his website said, though it needs parliamentary approval to come into force.

The decision came a day after Russia fired at and captured three Ukrainian vessels in Kerch Strait near Crimea, triggering a sharp escalation in tensions between the two countries.

Poroshenko said he would impose martial law throughout the country from Wednesday but said his decree did not include restrictions on citizens' rights or postponing elections slated for next year.

In a televised address, he offered parliament the introduction of martial law for 30 days instead of the 60 days his security council had originally envisaged.

"I fulfilled my constitutional duty and a few hours ago, by my decree, I imposed martial law throughout Ukraine from 9 am on November 28," he said.

Ukrainian lawmakers voted later on Monday to back a proposal by President Petro Poroshenko to introduce martial law for a period of 30 days in areas of the country most vulnerable to an attack from Russia.

They also voted to confirm that Ukraine would hold presidential elections on March 31.

Separately, the International Monetary Fund said introducing martial law would have no bearing on continued IMF cooperation with Ukraine.

Russia invaded Crimea in 2014 in the aftermath of the turbulent period when Ukraine's pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych was toppled after weeks of pro-European protests.

It unilaterally annexed the peninsula after a referendum in March 2014, but failed to garner international support and recognition for the move while prompting the U.S. and the E.U. to impose sanctions.

The incident in Kerch Strait has raised fears of a wider military escalation and the U.N. Security Council was to hold an emergency session Monday. NATO also called an emergency meeting on the incident.

Ukraine's Western allies accused Russia of using force without justification, while Kiev urged its partners to impose further sanctions on Moscow.

"These were planned acts of aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine," Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin told reporters in Kiev.

"We will demand (at the Security Council) the immediate release of our sailors and the liberation of our ships."

He said talks were underway, with the European Union and others, on increasing sanctions imposed on Russia.

Moscow insisted Kiev was to blame, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying: "The Russian side acted strictly within both domestic and international law."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Kiev of a planned provocation and of using "dangerous methods" that put ships in the area at risk.

The crisis unfolded as two small Ukrainian warships and a tugboat were heading through the Kerch Strait, a waterway that gives access to the Sea of Azov from the Black Sea and which is used by both Ukraine and Russia.

Ukraine said a Russian border guard vessel rammed the tugboat and then fired on the ships, immobilizing all three. It said the Kerch Strait was blocked by a tanker and that Russian military aircraft were flying over the area.

Russia's FSB security service, which oversees border forces, confirmed weapons had been fired and the vessels seized, accusing the Ukrainian ships of "violating the Russian border".

Ukraine said six of its servicemen were injured, two seriously. The FSB said only three had suffered non-life threatening injuries and were given medical treatment.

Russian news agencies quoted port officials in Crimea as saying the strait was reopened to traffic early on Monday.

The confrontation is a dangerous development in the long-running conflict pitting Ukraine against Moscow and Russian-backed rebels in the east of the country. More than 10,000 people have died in the fighting.

"I condemn Russian use of force in Azov Sea. Russian authorities must return Ukrainian sailors, vessels & refrain from further provocations," EU President Donald Tusk tweeted.

France also called on Russia to release the sailors and ships, with the foreign ministry saying "nothing appears to justify the use of force" by Russia.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said any Russian "blockade" of the Sea of Azov was "unacceptable".

Tensions have been building over the Kerch Strait, where Russia has built a new bridge that gives it a land connection to Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014.

Kiev has accused Moscow of blocking access for Ukrainian ships through the strait, the only way in and out of the Sea of Azov to the Black Sea.

In recent months both sides had deployed more naval and border vessels to the area.

"The incident marks a significant escalation of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine," research firm Eurasia Group said.

"Western governments will side with Ukraine against Russia over the incident... making new sanctions against Russia likely."

Poroshenko held a late-night meeting of his military cabinet, proposing the imposition of martial law in Ukraine "to ensure the security and safety of its citizens".

Eurasia Group said martial law could have wide-ranging domestic consequences, especially with a presidential election due in March and Poroshenko behind in opinion polls.

"Poroshenko did not take this kind of action during the worst of the conflict in 2014 and 2015. This raises concerns that... it could lead to postponement of the presidential election," it said.

Protesters gathered in several Ukrainian cities to denounce Russia's actions, with several hundred far-right activists marching to parliament in Kiev and setting off flares. </s> One of the key aspects of Ukrainian citizens lives that will be affected by martial law, is their right to participate in elections and referendums. The proposed martial law will last for 60 days, meaning that it will at least affect the presidential election campaign that is due to start in 2019, and, considering the law can be prolonged, may even affect the elections themselves, which are scheduled for 31 March 2019. In other words, President Petro Poroshenko will be able to keep his post as long as martial law lasts.

Same goes for the parliament, which can't be re-elected while martial law is in effect. If it lasts for little over a year, the elections to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, which are to take place on 27 October 2019, will also be postponed. Furthermore, both the parliament and the president won't be able to amend the Ukrainian Constitution, including the clauses regarding martial law.

Although certain fundamental rights can't be alienated even during martial law, Ukrainians will still be stripped of some of their rights, apart from the right to vote. Namely, the government will be able to ban any gatherings, strikes, and protests if it considers them 'threatening'. Kiev will also be able to impose a curfew and limit citizens' movements across the country, if it deems it necessary.

In addition to all that, the government gains the right to expropriate any private property for military needs, although owners are eligible for compensation in such cases. Plus any person, eligible for military service can be immediately mobilised if the government demands it.

Also, Kiev will be able to command any plant or factory to switch production to a military footing for the duration of martial law. At the same time, working hours and conditions can also be altered by a government decree, although workers retain their right to rest and minimal pay.

Failure to abide by any of these demands and limitations is punishable just like as any violation of the regular law. The government can prolong martial law as long as it finds that the threat to the state's sovereignty or intergrity continues. </s> Ukrainian parliament has voted to impose martial law for 30 days in wake of Russian seizure of Ukrainian vessels

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian parliament has voted to impose martial law for 30 days in wake of Russian seizure of Ukrainian vessels. </s> MOSCOW - Ukraine's leader has announced an end to the 30-day martial law imposed after Russia seized Ukrainian ships in the Black Sea.

Ukraine announced martial law last month after Russian coast guards fired at and seized three Ukrainian ships and their crews. The 24 seamen still remain in Russian custody.

The incident is another episode in the long-simmering conflict between the two countries that started in 2014 with Russia's annexation of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's martial law was widely seen as an attempt by the unpopular leader to score political points ahead of next year's presidential election.

Poroshenko told the cabinet on Wednesday that Ukraine had boosted its defences during the 30 days of martial law, which officially expired earlier in the day. </s> Ukraine’s parliament has voted to impose martial law to fight what its president called “growing aggression” from Moscow after a naval confrontation off the disputed Crimean peninsula.

The weekend incident saw Russia fire on and seize three Ukrainian vessels amid renewed tensions between the neighbours.

Western leaders and diplomats urged both sides to de-escalate the conflict, and the US blamed Russia for what it called “unlawful conduct” over Sunday’s incident in the Black Sea.

Russia and Ukraine blamed each other in the dispute that ratcheted up tensions that have simmered since Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014 and threw its weight behind separatists in eastern Ukraine with clandestine support, including troops and weapons.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko asked legislators in Kiev to institute martial law, something the country has not done even during the worst of the fighting in the east that killed about 10,000 people.

After a five-hour debate, parliament overwhelmingly approved his proposal, voting to impose martial law for 30 days in 10 of Ukraine’s 27 regions — those bordering Russia, Belarus and Moldova’s pro-Moscow breakaway republic of Trans-Dniester.

The locations were identified as potentially in the front line of any Russian attack. The capital Kiev is not under martial law.

Mr Poroshenko said it was necessary because of intelligence about “a highly serious threat of a ground operation against Ukraine”.

“Martial law doesn’t mean declaring a war,” he said. “It is introduced with the sole purpose of boosting Ukraine’s defence in the light of a growing aggression from Russia.”

Ukraine’s Defence Ministry had announced earlier in the day that its troops were on full combat alert.

The approved measures included a partial mobilisation and strengthening the country’s air defences. It also contained vaguely worded steps such as “strengthening” anti-terrorism measures and “information security” that could curtail certain rights and freedoms.

Mr Poroshenko’s critics reacted to his call for martial law with suspicion, wondering why Sunday’s incident merited such a response. His approval ratings have been plunging, and there were concerns that he would postpone a presidential election scheduled for March.

Just before parliament met to vote, he sought to allay those fears by releasing a statement revising his original martial law proposal from 60 days to 30, to “do away with the pretexts for political speculation”.

Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said Mr Poroshenko assured him martial law would not have a negative impact on the election.

Mr Poroshenko’s call also outraged far-right groups in Ukraine that have advocated severing diplomatic ties with Russia. Hundreds of protesters from the National Corps party waved flares in the snowy streets of Kiev outside parliament and accused the president of using martial law to his own ends.

But he insisted it was necessary because what happened in the Kerch Strait between Crimea and the Russian mainland “was no accident”, adding that “this was not the culmination of it yet”.

Russian coastguard ships fired on the Ukrainian navy vessels near the strait, which separates the Black Sea from the Sea of Azov, injuring six Ukrainian seamen and eventually seizing the vessels and their crews.

It was the first open military confrontation between the two neighbours since the annexation of Crimea.

Ukraine said its vessels were heading to the Sea of Azov in line with international maritime rules, while Russia said they had failed to obtain permission to pass through the narrow strait that is spanned by a 11.8-mile bridge that Russia completed this year.

While a 2003 treaty designates the Kerch Strait and Sea of Azov as shared territorial waters, Moscow has sought to assert greater control over the passage since the annexation.

Ukrainian foreign minister Pavlo Klimkin said the dispute was not an accident and Russia had engaged in “deliberately planned hostilities”.

His Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov blamed Kiev for what he described as a “provocation”, adding: “Ukraine had undoubtedly hoped to get additional benefits from the situation, expecting the US and Europe to blindly take the provocateurs’ side.”

At a UN Security Council meeting, US ambassador Nikki Haley urged Moscow to “immediately cease its unlawful conduct” in the Black Sea. </s> After intense debate, 276 lawmakers vote in favor of President Petro Poroshenko's request for martial law in border areas for 30 days

KIEV, Ukraine – Ukraine's parliament approved the introduction of martial law in border regions on Monday, November 26, as Russian state TV aired images of Ukrainian sailors captured after Moscow seized 3 of Kiev's ships in a confrontation at sea.

After intense debate, 276 lawmakers voted in favor of President Petro Poroshenko's request for martial law in border areas for 30 days.

The decision came after Russian forces boarded and captured Kiev's ships on Sunday, November 25, with Moscow accusing the vessels of illegally entering Russian waters off the coast of Crimea in the Sea of Azov.

Ukraine and its Western allies say Russia illegally blocked the strait and acted against international law by grabbing the vessels and sailors.

The martial law gives Ukrainian authorities the power to mobilize citizens with military experience, regulate the media and restrict public rallies.

Amid fears of a Russian ground offensive, Poroshenko had wanted the law to cover the entire country but it was limited to border regions after opposition from lawmakers.

Before the vote, Poroshenko had accused Moscow of a "new phase of aggression."

With Ukraine's military on high alert, images of several captured sailors were broadcast on Russia's state-run channel Rossiya 24 showing interrogations by Moscow's security services.

At one point, one of the sailors is heard saying that "the actions of the Ukrainian armed vessels in the Kerch Strait had a provocatory character" – parroting the version of events put forward by Russian authorities.

The incident has raised fears of a wider military escalation. The UN Security Council met in an emergency session, where US Ambassador Nikki Haley warned Russia against "outlaw actions".

US President Donald Trump later weighed in on the incident.

"We don't like what's happening and hopefully it will get straightened out. I know Europe is not – they are not thrilled. They're working on it too. We're all working on it together," Trump told reporters at the White House.

The confrontation is the latest dangerous development in the conflict pitting Ukraine against Moscow and Russian-backed rebels in the east of the country.

More than 10,000 people have been killed since the Moscow-backed insurgency broke out in April 2014 following Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

The United States and EU have already imposed sanctions on Russia over the conflict and on Monday European capitals rallied behind Kiev.

Ukraine's Western allies accused Russia of using force without justification in the naval confrontation, while Kiev urged its partners to impose further sanctions on Moscow.

"These were planned acts of aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine," Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin told reporters in Kiev.

Poroshenko accused Russia of taking the two countries' long-running conflict to another level.

The incident showed "the arrogant and open participation of regular units of Russian troops," he said in a television address to the nation, disparaging Moscow's insistence that its forces were not directly involved in Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov blamed Kiev, saying: "The Russian side acted strictly within both domestic and international law."

The crisis unfolded as two small Ukrainian warships and a tugboat were heading through the Kerch Strait, a waterway that gives access to the Sea of Azov from the Black Sea and which is used by both Ukraine and Russia.

Ukraine said a Russian border guard vessel rammed the tugboat and then fired on the ships, immobilizing all 3. It said the Kerch Strait was blocked by a tanker and that Russian military aircraft were flying over the area.

Russia's FSB security service, which oversees border forces, confirmed weapons had been fired and the vessels seized, accusing the Ukrainian ships of "violating the Russian border".

Ukraine's interior minister released a video on Twitter apparently from aboard one of the Russian ships, showing the tugboat being chased down and the collision, interspersed with commands and swearing in Russian.

Russian television networks showed a similar video, but with the voices removed and without the moment of collision.

Ukraine said 6 of its servicemen were injured in the incident, two seriously. The FSB said only 3 had suffered non-life threatening injuries and were given medical treatment.

Russian officials said 24 Ukrainian servicemen had been detained and Peskov said a criminal investigation had been opened.

"I condemn Russian use of force in Azov Sea. Russian authorities must return Ukrainian sailors, vessels & refrain from further provocations," EU President Donald Tusk tweeted.

France also called on Russia to release the sailors and ships, with the foreign ministry saying "nothing appears to justify the use of force" by Russia.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said any Russian "blockade" of the Sea of Azov was "unacceptable" and proposed French-German mediation to resolve the crisis.

Tensions have been building over the Kerch Strait, where Russia has built a new bridge that gives it a land connection to Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014.

Kiev has accused Moscow of blocking access for Ukrainian ships though the strait, the only way in and out of the Sea of Azov to the Black Sea.

In recent months both sides had deployed more naval and border vessels to the area. – Rappler.com </s> Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has announced the end of martial law in the country's border regions that was imposed last month after Russia seized Ukrainian ships in the Black Sea.

"Today, right now, at 2:00 p.m. martial law ends. This is my principal decision," Poroshenko said during a military cabinet meeting in Kyiv on December 26.

Poroshenko said he had reached the decision "based on an analysis of all the components of the security situation in the country."

On November 26, Ukraine's parliament backed Poroshenko's request to introduce martial law after Russian forces fired on Ukrainian ships and seized 24 Ukrainian nationals near the Kerch Strait.

The seamen remain in Russian custody and are facing criminal charges of illegally crossing Russia's border.

The European Union and the United States have said Russia's actions were illegal and have called on Moscow to immediately return the vessels and their crews to Ukraine.

The incident, during which a Russian vessel rammed a Ukrainian Navy tugboat, further escalated the conflict between the ex-Soviet neighbors that flared up in 2014 with Russia's occupation and annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.

Russia has provided military, economic, and political support to separatist militants in eastern Ukraine. About 10,300 people have been killed since early 2014 in that conflict, which the International Criminal Court (ICC) ruled in November 2016 was "an international armed conflict between Ukraine and the Russian Federation."

The 30-day martial law was imposed in 10 regions, including those close to areas controlled by Russia-backed rebels in the east of the country, abutting the Russia-backed separatist Transdniester region in Moldova, and along the Sea of Azov coast.

Despite the lifting of martial law, tensions between Russia and Ukraine remain high. Top Russian officials, including Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, have claimed that Kyiv was preparing a "provocation" in the border area.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on December 24 that Russia was concerned Ukraine might "switch to full-scale combat actions within the next few days" or stage a provocation using "chemical-warfare agents."

Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev said in an interview published in Rossiiskaya Gazeta on December 26 that "leaders of ultrarightist groups from the U.S. have been training for months together with radical organizations in Ukraine."

"Feeling such support [from the United States], Poroshenko confidently resorts to provocative steps, including on the Ukrainian-Russian border," Patrushev said. "In the light of upcoming [Ukrainian presidential] elections, it can be predicted that new such actions with U.S. support could be expected in the near future."

Ukraine has said Russia is amassing military forces along the border, in the annexed Crimea region, and in the Black Sea area.

Speaking at a military event in Kyiv on December 1, Poroshenko said Russia has deployed "more than 80,000 troops, 1,400 artillery and multiple-rocket-launch systems, 900 tanks, 2,300 armored combat vehicles, 500 airplanes, and 300 helicopters" near the border.

During the National Security and Defense Council meeting on December 26, Poroshenko said "Ukraine will never halt the use of its Azov ports, including by military vessels."

With reporting by AFP, AP, UNIAN, and TASS </s> MOSCOW – President Petro Poroshenko said Monday that he is introducing martial law across Ukraine for 30 days, starting Wednesday, triggering a sharp escalation with neighboring Russia.

Parliament still needs to ratify the proposal, though the bill is widely seen as sailing through.

The move comes one day after Russian ships fired at and seized Ukrainian vessels in the Black Sea. Several Ukrainian sailors were injured, and 24 were detained by Moscow for provoking the incident by the Kerch Strait, a narrow strip of water separating the Black and Azov Seas.

Poroshenko took to state television to say there was a “serious threat” of a land invasion by Russia. He cited Ukrainian intelligence reports as saying that Russian forces were forming just miles from the border with Ukraine.

Russia warned Ukraine of “serious consequences” if it continues what Moscow describes as stoking conflict. Moscow has closed off the Kerch Strait.

Under Ukrainian legislation, martial law allows for a slew of restrictions, from the media to individual movement.

The latest standoff comes after months of rising tensions between the two countries, who have been at loggerheads since a pro-Moscow government in Ukraine was toppled more than four years ago, touching off Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula and the ongoing war in eastern Ukraine involving pro-Russian separatists.

The international community has condemned Russia’s maritime moves, with the European Union and NATO calling for restraint.
• Ex-Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos must report to prison Monday, judge orders
• Trump says he has turned in answers to Mueller questions “Once again, we see Russian contempt for international norms and Ukrainian sovereignty,” British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said on Twitter, calling for the release of the Ukrainian soldiers and a restoration of movement through the Kerch Strait.

An emergency session of the U.N. Security Council will be held Monday to discuss the crisis.
The Verkhovna Rada approves the introduction of martial law in 10 oblasts of Ukraine for a period of 30 days.