Vienna In response to the deteriorating situation at the front, Russia has imposed drastic restrictions on its claimed territory. As of midnight, President Vladimir Putin introduces martial law in the four annexed Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Cherson and Zaporizhia. Eight other neighboring regions, including occupied Crimea, are subject to a “medium” form of state of emergency, while milder restrictions apply to central Russia and Moscow.
Martial law confers extensive powers on local authorities. Within its framework, curfews and restrictions on personal rights and freedoms are possible, and demonstrations are prohibited. The army can now also precisely control the entry of civilians, in Cherson they were suspended for the next seven days. The military censors are also allowed to monitor any form of digital and analog communication.
As justification, the Russian President cited the activities of Ukrainian partisans, which he admittedly did not call that: “The neo-Nazis use blatant terrorist methods: sabotage of residential complexes, attacks on representatives of the local authorities,” the Kremlin chief explained.
Apparently he hopes to improve the precarious security situation – at least in those occupied areas that Russia really controls. Martial law is likely to intensify repression of the remaining Ukrainian population.
Top jobs of the day
Find the best jobs now and
be notified by email.
Militarily, the situation for Moscow’s troops is extremely difficult. For months they have only been able to make small advances, especially around the town of Bakhmut in the east. On the other hand, the successful Ukrainian counter-offensive around Kharkiv, the conquest of the strategically important city of Liman and the gains in territory in the Cherson region were painful setbacks for the Russians.
>> Read also: Why frost and snow to the advantage of the become Ukraine
Their meanwhile daily attacks on critical infrastructure in Ukrainian cities with kamikaze drones spread terror and aggravate the situation of the civilian population, but do not change the military situation.
However, the Russian front has not collapsed, not even around Cherson. On the contrary, the troops have been holding out against the Ukrainian attacks in well-developed and echeloned positions for the past two weeks, at the price of heavy casualties on both sides.
While Kyiv hardly provides any information about the progress of the fighting, according to the regional administration deployed by Russia, its troops have started a major offensive in the region. Military bloggers spoke of attacks by several hundred soldiers northeast of Kherson.
Colonel-General Sergei Surovikin hints for the first time that the Russian military in Ukraine is not making progress as planned.
(Photo: dpa)
The day before, the supreme commander of the Russian troops in the Ukraine war, General Surovikin, spoke of a “tense” situation on the southern front, which could make very difficult decisions necessary. Even if no one says this openly, there is increasing evidence that this means a withdrawal from all areas on the right bank of the Dnipro River. Two weeks ago, the army relocated its most important command posts from Cherson to the south, with one exception.
All military and civil authorities followed suit on Wednesday. Vladimir Saldo, head of the collaboration administration, had asked the population to evacuate days ago. Up to 60,000 people are expected to leave Cherson in the next few days. For many, this is tantamount to deportation to Russia. The regional authorities, which are loyal to Kyiv, called on the population to ignore the order so as not to be misused as “human shields” by the occupiers.
Persistence slogans in Cherson
Saldo claimed that the evacuation does not amount to a task in the only regional capital that Russia has captured since February 24. “The city will hold out,” said the former mayor of Cherson. “The soldiers know what they have to do, they will fight to the death.”
However, the fact that Kyiv is planning a massive attack on the city, as Saldo claims, would be in complete contradiction to previous tactics. Knowing that they are outnumbered and that defenders have an advantage in battles in urban areas, the Ukrainians have consistently avoided them.
Martial law is now in force in the annexed Kherson district. This legitimizes curfews and restrictions on personal rights and freedoms.
(Photo: IMAGO/ITAR-TASS)
Instead, they consistently destroyed the logistics of the Russians in the rear around Kyiv and recently in the east thanks to modern western artillery with a long range. In doing so, they made their situation at the front untenable in the medium term.
Although the Ukrainians are under time and pressure to succeed, there would be little point in moving away from this, especially in Cherson: the bridges over the Dnipro have already become practically impassable due to Ukrainian shelling. Resupply comes from the air, ferries and pontoon bridges, which are now within range of regular Ukrainian artillery. All of this speaks against a hasty attack.
Should the Russian army actually hold on to its bridgehead on the right bank of the Dnipro, the measures now taken would potentially give it a little more leeway: the deportation of the civilian population, the evacuation of the authorities and the additional powers give it the opportunity to meet its own needs absolutely to prioritize. However, she seems to doubt that this will be enough to hold the front.
More: US political scientist Fukuyama – “The defeat of Russia is already in the works”