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Vladimir Putin: Martial law permits a series of massive encroachments on personal freedom
Photo: MAXIM SHIPENKOV / EPA-EFE
On Thursday night, two decrees by the Russian President will come into force, which could have serious consequences for people in the occupied areas of Ukraine but also in Russia.
With the first decree, Vladimir Putin imposed martial law and with the second decree a kind of “martial law light”, an ominous state of alert that is to apply in gradations throughout Russia.
The surprising announcement raised many questions.
Where exactly should martial law apply according to Putin's decrees?
Putin has imposed martial law in the narrower sense for the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Cherson, whose annexation he announced at the end of September.
Russia does not fully control either area, and a major Ukrainian counteroffensive appears imminent in Kherson.
In a second decree, however, the Russian President has expanded the powers of those in power in numerous other subjects of the Russian Federation, in some cases considerably.
The Crimean peninsula annexed by Russia and the regions of Krasnodar, Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Kursk and Rostov bordering Ukraine and the Sea of Azov have a special status.
According to the decree, a so-called “medium reaction level” should apply in these border areas.
Increased security measures are also in place in the Central Federal District of Russia, the administrative unit that includes the capital Moscow, and throughout the Southern Federal District.
These also apply to a slightly lesser extent throughout the rest of the country.
What concrete measures could be imposed in the occupied territories and also in Russia itself?
Russian martial law permits a series of massive encroachments on personal liberty.
These include, but are not limited to, imposing a curfew, confiscation of private property, detention for up to 30 days, forced relocation to other areas, banning foreign organizations, and screening people and goods at roadblocks.
The activities of parties and associations can be banned, as can demonstrations and strikes.
The sale of certain goods, such as alcohol and weapons, may be prohibited and regulated.
However, quite a few of these measures are already being used in the Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.
There are numerous testimonies and evidence that massive human rights violations, illegal searches, confiscation of private property, detention, torture and forced conscription are already part of everyday life in the occupied regions.
New would be the possible measures for the Russian border regions and the Crimea to "strengthen the protection of public order" and "guarantee public security", which were now often referred to as "martial law light": In this way, residents of these areas could also be temporarily resettled.
Restricted areas could be set up to which only certain groups of people would have access.
The freedom of movement of local residents can be restricted and identity checks can be carried out.
The government is allowed to take control of transportation and communications when circumstances warrant, such as using printers and data centers for defense purposes.
According to the decree, vehicles could also be checked and the freedom of movement of residents restricted in central and southern Russia.
Here, too, the government is allowed to take control of transport, communication and energy systems, to put telecommunications and printing at the service of the war.
What is Putin trying to achieve with this right now?
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, there had been repeated speculation that Putin could impose martial law in Russia in order to be able to carry out a general mobilization.
Men capable of military service are no longer allowed to leave Russia under martial law.
But then, on September 21, the Russian President surprisingly announced a so-called partial mobilization without declaring a state of war.
As a result, hundreds of thousands of Russian men had fled abroad within a few days.
A few days ago, Putin announced that the "partial mobilization" was about to be completed, with 220,000 soldiers said to have been mobilized for the war effort in Ukraine.
It is surprising at first that Putin is now introducing martial law, just as partial mobilization is said to be coming to an end.
But it was precisely the mobilization that revealed grievances throughout the country - there was a lack of accommodation, means of transport, clothing and equipment.
Martial law allows, once soldiers have been mobilized, to mobilize the resources needed to equip them.
The measures would also be suitable to strengthen control over the Russian population, although there is no significant resistance to the war there anyway.
In any case, Putin is handing over responsibility to the governors.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin immediately assured that no measures will be introduced in the capital at this time that would restrict the usual rhythm of city life.
It is not possible to predict which of the local governments will actually introduce which measures in the end.
The decrees also contain references to possible further measures that are not explained in detail in the text.
The expansion of the powers of the occupiers and local rulers may also have been a signal to the hardliners.
Ramzan Kadyrov, Putin's deputy in the Russian republic of Chechnya, enthusiastically welcomed the announcement in a message to Telegram as "long-awaited".
"The security of our state should be built not only by the central government, but also by the regional authorities," Kadyrov wrote.
The additional powers might help with that.
The Chechen ruler also praised the imposition of martial law in the occupied territories and once again called for the annihilation of the "fascists" in Ukraine.
How will the people of Russia react?
Whether the state of alarm in Russia itself causes resentment or unrest will depend on how much the measures affect people's daily lives.
At least in border regions like Belgorod near Kharkiv, where grenades and rockets hit almost every day, the war can already be felt.
Increased security precautions could even be welcomed there.
The mobilization had already triggered fear and unrest among the Russian population.
This did not change the basic support for what is known in Russia as a "special operation" in the Ukraine.
How did Ukraine react?
Advisor to the Ukrainian President Mykhailo Podoliak described the use of martial law as a pseudo-legalization of confiscation of Ukrainian property and assured that Moscow's measure would not change Kiev's strategy to retake the territories.
The head of the Ukrainian Security Council, Oleksiy Danilov, suspected that by imposing martial law, Russia was preparing for the “mass deportation” of Ukrainian citizens to Russian emergency areas in order to change the ethnic composition of the population in the occupied territories.