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Zelensky suggests Ukraine’s parliament introduce state of emergency for 30 days

The presidential decree gives instructions to the heads of regional administrations and Kiev to set up emergency operations centers to coordinate activities locally

KIEV, February 23. /TASS/. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky suggested that the Verkhovna Rada introduce a state of emergency on the country’s entire territory (except for the Donetsk and Lugansk regions) for 30 days from February 24, according to the presidential decree intended for debate in the parliament and posted on the Rada’s website on Wednesday.

"To introduce a state of emergency from the midnight of February 24, 2022 for a period of 30 days on the territory of the Vinnitsa, Volyn, Dnepropetrovsk, Zhitomir, Zakarpatye, Zaporozhye, Ivano-Frankovsk, Kiev, Kirovograd, Lvov, Nikolayev, Odessa, Poltava, Rovno, Sumy, Ternopol, Kharkov, Kherson, Khmelnitsky, Cherkasy, Chernovtsy, Chernigov regions and the city of Kiev," the document says.

The presidential decree gives instructions to the heads of regional administrations and Kiev to set up emergency operations centers to coordinate activities locally. The security, defense and law-enforcement agencies are assigned with providing assistance in implementing measures that will be taken for the time of the state of emergency.

These measures stipulate, in particular, establishing a special entry/exit regime, restricting the freedom of movement and the traffic of transport means and their inspection (if necessary), enhancing the protection of public order, banning industrial actions, granting the right to impose a curfew and other measures.

A decision on declaring a state of emergency was initiated at a meeting of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council on Wednesday. This was followed by consultations and the approval of details. Meanwhile, Verkhovna Rada legislator Yaroslav Zheleznyak claimed that the text of the decree published on the parliament’s website differed from the version of the document that had been finally approved.

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