Ukraine legislature extends martial law and general mobilization through November News
LukasJohnns / Pixabay
Ukraine legislature extends martial law and general mobilization through November

Ukraine’s Parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, approved bills on Thursday that extends martial law and general mobilization in the country for an additional 90 days. The move marks the eighth extension since the start of the war in Ukraine.

Lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak wrote on Telegram that Ukraine’s Parliament extended martial law for 90 days, until November 15, 2023 with the support of 347 lawmakers. The bill to extend general mobilization received 334 votes in favor. On Wednesday, Zhelezniak explained the process by which the bill would pass into effect. First Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed two decrees—which he did on Wednesday. The decrees were then submitted to the council for approval, followed by the Committee on Defense. After all of that, the bill arrived on the floor of the Verkhovna Rada for a vote.

As a result of the extension of martial law, Ukraine’s parliamentary elections are expected to be pushed back from the initial October date. Under martial law, it is impossible to hold elections.

The war between Russia and Ukraine continues to rage on, with this week marking the seventeenth month of fighting. On Wednesday, a UN official told the UN Security Council that the recent Russian attacks targeting the Ukrainian city of Odesa and other port cities marks a “calamitous turn.” This is on top of a Thursday report from the UN Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), which documented ongoing human rights violations, in the form of arbitrary detentions, carried out by Russian forces against Ukrainian civilians.