Ukraine imposes martial law after Russian seizure of naval vessels

Ukraine imposed martial law on Monday after the Russian seizure of three of its naval vessels sparked street protests on Sunday night, according to the nation’s presidential website.

Protesters gathered outside the Russian embassy in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev, setting a diplomatic car on fire.

The presidential website said President Pyotr Poroshenko has enacted the National Security and Defense Council’s decision to declare martial law until January 25 and the country’s military has been placed on “full alert”.

Calls for martial law faced strong opposition from some of the President’s opponents in Ukraine, who perceived it as an attempt to delay next year’s Presidential ballot.

Oksana Syroyid, a legislator from Samopomich parliament group and deputy assembly speaker, said on Facebook: “An introduction of martial law all over Ukraine is an excellent chance to manipulate presidential elections and in case of need to apply some dictatorship.”

Iryna Herashchenko, first deputy speaker of parliament and a member of Poroshenko’s bloc, said the imposition of martial law in response to the Russian attack on its vessels wouldn’t “automatically mean” that the ballot would be delayed.

Russia claimed the three vessels entered illegally its territorial waters in the Sea of Azov.

Ukraine's Berdyansk and Nikopol gunboats, and the Yani Kapu tug, were sailing from the Black Sea port of Odessa to Mariupol in the Sea of Azov, which is shared between the two countries.

The vessels continued towards the Kerch Strait, the only access to the Sea of Azov, but were blocked by a tanker placed under the Kerch bridge.

UN MEETS AS NEIGHBOURS WARN OF RISKS

The EU and Nato have called on both sides to step back while the UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting.

“We consider it as an act of aggression against our state and a very serious threat,” said Poroshenko. “Unfortunately, there are no ‘red lines’ for the Russian Federation.”

President Sauli Niinisto of Finland, Russia’s neighbour to the North-West and an EU member state - but not of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation - said Russia must return the three ships and their crews, as well as allowing free passage to vessels through the strait to reduce tension in the area.

“Instability in the area has continued for a long time and the risk of escalation is high. That’s why it’s of primary importance that the international community react to the incident without delay,” said Niinisto in a statement.

International condemnation for Russia’s actions was widespread, with the governments of Germany, Canada, Holland, Poland, Lithuania, Estonia and others besides voicing dissent.

Estonian defence minister Juri Luik said in an emailed statement: "A full-scale military conflict can begin at any moment.”

The UN Security Council is to hold an emergency meeting on the situation.

Each country blames the other for the incident in which two gunboats and a tug were captured and a number of Ukrainian crew members injured, though their injuries are not reported to be life-threatening.

The event is the latest flashpoint in long-running tensions between the two countries, the most well-known of which is the Russian annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in the Spring of 2014.

Poroshenko’s government has been attempting to steer Ukraine, formerly part of the Soviet Union, away from Russian influence, targeting full membership of both the EU and Nato and winning a vote on proposals to do so just last week.

Opposition politicians in Kiev are insisting that there should be a full referendum on the issue as less than half of the population are understood to support Nato membership, though just over half support joining the EU.

On 22 November, Ukraine's Constitutional court green-lighted ammendments to the country's constitution establishing full membership of the EU and NATO as outright foreign policy goals.