War in Ukraine: What will replace Vladimir Putin’s martial law in the annexed territories?

It was a decision expected in Russia: Vladimir Putin imposed martial law in four annexed regions of Ukraine on Wednesday, October 19, during a televised Security Council meeting. Martial law, or the exceptional legal status of transferring all or part of civil powers to the military.

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Rumored for months that this would happen to the whole country, the establishment has finally been limited to these four regions where it already lived, in fact, under a kind of martial law, curfew, traffic restrictions, checkpoints.

In the immediate future, this shouldn’t change much on a day-to-day basis for residents of these regions. For Vladimir Putin and Russian power, this is probably a way to adjust to the “tense” situation in the Russian military, which has been rattled by Kiev’s forces in the Lugansk and Kherson regions. The law specifically provides for the establishment of a territorial defense: a text makes it possible to mobilize all citizens, and not only those who meet certain conditions, to participate in the defense of their territory.

As is often the case in Russia, this legal text is also vaguely drawn. Some articles even seem to apply to the entire Russian territory. Some opponents see it as a way for the authority to give itself an extra twist on security policy.

And Vladimir Putin wasn’t content with declaring martial law: he announced other measures as well. First, the Russian president raised the alert level in all parts of Russian territory bordering Ukraine and Crimea. Hence the governors of these regions will have expanded powers to carry out security measures. The decision is in response to the concern of people in these regions. Bryansk, Belgorod or Kursk have been targeted by bombers in recent days and weeks, possibly by Ukrainian missile strikes.

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Another move announced by Vladimir Putin: Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of Wagner’s paramilitary group, will train and supervise a popular militia in the Belgorod region, according to official regulations. This group of mercenaries works for the Kremlin, but Moscow refuses to recognize it, and therefore officially becomes a subsidiary force of the security forces in Russia.

The Kremlin quickly made it clear that there was no question of closing Russia’s borders, something feared by a segment of the population. But this set of new security measures won’t be the last.