Ukraine imposes emergency; Russia faces more sanctions

KYIV • Ukraine was yesterday bracing itself for a potential Russian invasion as it declared a 30-day state of emergency and mobilised military reservists.

The moves came after Russian President Vladimir Putin stood firm on his decision to send more troops into eastern Ukraine and recognise its two separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states despite widespread condemnation and a growing list of Western sanctions.

Ukraine's Parliament must now vote to enact the state of emergency, which can be extended for another 30 days, national security and defence council chief Oleksiy Danilov said yesterday.

"These are preventive measures to keep calm in the country so that our economy and our country can work," Mr Danilov said.

Imposing a state of emergency gives powers to the authorities, who can choose which ones to implement. These could include curfews, restrictions on transport, extra protection for critical infrastructure and a ban on strikes.

The state border guards service said new measures had been introduced regarding the stay of foreigners near the border zone, the use of radios, flights of drones, and the filming and photographing of certain people and buildings.

The state of emergency applies to all of Ukraine except Donetsk and Luhansk, where it has been in place since 2014, when Russian-backed fighters came to control parts of those regions.

Russia this week recognised the independence of the two areas, and has built up an estimated 190,000 troops in and around Ukraine, weeks after expressing frustration that the West has repeatedly rebuffed its demands for a rewriting of Europe's security arrangements.

Moscow's demands include a guarantee that Ukraine will never join Nato, and that the alliance roll back its military deployments in Central and Eastern Europe. But Western leaders say the Kremlin cannot be allowed an effective veto on Kyiv's foreign policy decisions.

Mr Putin, in a video released yesterday on a Russian holiday celebrating its armed forces, said Moscow was always open to diplomacy, but that "the interests of Russia and the security of our citizens are unconditional for us".

Meanwhile, Australia, Canada and Japan joined the United States and other countries in announcing sanctions against Russia over the situation in Ukraine.

The European Union's sanctions added all members of Russia's Lower House of Parliament who voted to recognise the separatist regions to a blacklist, freezing their assets and banning travel to the bloc.

Britain followed the US in banning Russia from the issuing of new bonds in its security markets.

Japan imposed sanctions on individuals linked to Donetsk and Luhansk, as well as a ban on the issuing and trade of Russian government bonds in Japan.

But none of the measures announced so far directly targets Mr Putin himself, or is expected to have severe medium-term consequences for Moscow, which has more than US$630 billion (S$847 billion) in international reserves.

The Biden administration and European allies have warned that the current sanctions are only the beginning. Tougher penalties will come "if Russia goes further with this invasion", US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday.

But Kremlin officials have responded scornfully, with Russia's ambassador to Washington, Mr Anatoly Antonov, saying that sanctions would hurt global financial and energy markets, creating pain for Americans as well.

Russia would not "revise its foreign policy under a threat of restrictions", said Mr Antonov.

"I don't remember a single day when our country lived without any restrictions from the Western world," he said. "We have learnt to work in such conditions. And not only to survive, but also to develop our state."

REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, NYTIMES