Ukraine approves legislation on martial law

The Ukrainian parliament on Tuesday approved a bill providing a legal basis for declaring a martial law in the country, the parliament press service said in a statement.

The bill, submitted by President Petro Poroshenko in April, was supported by 254 lawmakers out of 322 present in the assembly, the statement posted on the parliament's website said.

The new legislation stipulates that the martial law could be introduced across Ukraine or in its certain regions should an armed aggression or a threat to the country's national security or territorial integrity arise.

The legislation authorizes the military leadership of the country to curtail the freedom and movement of citizens, carry out inspection of private property, prohibit mass events and establish a curfew during martial law.

The legislative act also gives the National Security and Defense Council a right to submit a proposal for the introduction of martial law to the president. To come into effect, the special security regime should be approved by the head of state and the parliament.

The legislation was passed amid a conflict in eastern Ukraine, where government troops have been fighting pro-independence insurgents since April 2014. At least 6,100 people were killed and more than 15,400 others wounded in the bloody conflict, according to the latest United Nations estimates. Endite