KYIV — Amidst the continued bombardment by Russian forces in Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed legislation to extend martial law and a general military mobilization until mid-November. This extension could potentially lead to the postponement of national parliamentary elections scheduled for the fall.
According to Ukrainian law, martial law must be prolonged every 90 days. This process was initiated when Russia invaded in February 2022. While martial law is in effect, political activity is limited, and elections cannot be held.
The Ukrainian constitution states that parliamentary elections should occur no later than October 29, followed by presidential elections in early 2023. However, President Zelensky acknowledged in a May interview with The Washington Post that martial law would prevent elections from taking place. He mentioned, “If there is no martial law, then there will be [elections].”
Although some countries have managed to hold elections during wartime, Ukrainian officials argue that this is not feasible given the current situation where Ukraine is fighting for its survival, with approximately 20% of its territory occupied by Russian forces and millions of people displaced. The fact that democracy continues to function in Ukraine is seen as a significant achievement under these circumstances.
President Zelensky and his administration are determined for Ukraine, which is a candidate country to join the European Union, to become a member as soon as possible. However, E.U. officials estimate that the process could take several years.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian military general staff reported on Thursday via Facebook that Russian forces had launched several missiles, airstrikes, and multiple rocket launcher attacks against Ukrainian troops and settlements across various regions, including Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kherson. The bombardment continued into Thursday morning, with intense fighting reported in the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region near the city of Kupyansk.
Amidst these ongoing attacks, the container ship Joseph Schulte, carrying Ukrainian agricultural products, maintained its journey through the Black Sea to deliver its cargo to international markets. This act defied Russian threats to obstruct the ship’s passage. Last month, Russia suspended an agreement brokered by the United Nations that allowed Ukraine to export grain and other agricultural products through the Black Sea. Moscow officials warned that ships departing from Ukrainian ports would be treated as potential carriers of military cargo and targeted accordingly.
The Joseph Schulte, flying a Hong Kong flag, departed from the Ukrainian port of Odessa on Wednesday and is set to reach the Turkish port of Ambarli. The ship’s management company assured that the crew is safe and that the vessel is following an established corridor via Ukrainian, Romanian, and Turkish territorial waters to ensure a safe passage.
In a separate incident, a Russian court fined Google approximately $32,000 for allegedly failing to delete false information about the war in Ukraine from YouTube, which is owned by Google. The Kremlin views the conflict as a “special military operation” and has implemented broad censorship laws to suppress any criticism of its military activities. This fine follows similar cases against Apple and the Wikimedia Foundation earlier this month.
Furthermore, Boris Obnosov, the head of the Russian-owned Tactical Missiles Corporation, along with his daughter and son-in-law, have been added to the Czech Republic’s sanctions list following a campaign by Russian anti-corruption activists. Tactical Missiles is responsible for producing missiles and aerial bombs that have caused significant destruction in Ukrainian cities. Obnosov’s daughter and son-in-law have been residing in Prague, where they reportedly own real estate worth over $8 million. These actions were prompted by investigations conducted by Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, which called on the European Union to impose sanctions on Obnosov’s family members.
Overall, the situation in Ukraine remains tense, with Russian forces continuing their aggressive actions and Ukraine’s future political landscape facing uncertainty due to the extension of martial law.
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