MOSCOW, January 14. /TASS/. Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, has approved bills to extend martial law and mobilization in the country for an 18th time - from February 3 to May 4.

333 and 312 deputies voted in favor of the measures, respectively, according to live television footage of the parliament session. They needed 226 votes to pass.

Next, the documents must be signed by Vladimir Zelensky and Rada Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk.

Martial law and general mobilization were introduced in Ukraine on February 24, 2022 and have been extended several times since then. Due to their permanent extension, neither parliamentary, presidential, nor local elections are held in the country, so Vladimir Zelensky, whose presidential powers expired on May 20, 2024, remains at the head of the country.