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Ukraine parliament adjourns martial law approval session due to protests

The Verkhovna Rada has adjourned the session during which the parliament was supposed to approve decision to declare martial law in the country
Ukrainian lawmakers seen during parliament session in Kiev AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky
Ukrainian lawmakers seen during parliament session in Kiev
© AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky

KIEV, November 26. /TASS/. The Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) has adjourned the session during which the parliament was supposed to approve Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko’s decision to declare martial law in the country. Shortly after the session began, members of several opposition parties blocked the speaker’s podium and demanded a detailed discussion of the current situation after Sunday’s incident in the Kerch Strait. According to them, Poroshenko has made this decision without consulting the leaders of parliamentary fractions, which contradicts the decision-making procedure.

According to the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), on Sunday morning, three ships from the Ukrainian Navy - the Berdyansk, the Nikopol and the Yany Kapu - illegally crossed Russia’s border. They ignored legitimate demands to stop issued by vessels belonging to the FSB Border Service and the Black Sea Fleet and continued to perform dangerous maneuvers. In order to stop the Ukrainian ships, the Russian forces had to use weapons and detain the three vessels. Three Ukrainian military servicemen suffered light wounds and were provided with medical assistance.

A criminal investigation has been opened into the border incident. The FSB said that evidence proving Kiev’s plans to carry out a provocation in the Black Sea would soon be made public.