Until mid-May for the time being

Ukraine extends martial law and mobilization

The Ukrainian parliament has extended martial law and mobilization for a further 90 days.(Bild: APA/AFP/Genya SAVILOV)

The Ukrainian parliament has extended the martial law and mobilization imposed after the Russian invasion by a further 90 days. The bills introduced by President Volodymyr Zelenskyi were each approved by a clear two-thirds majority, several MPs announced on Tuesday.

The measures will now apply until mid-May for the time being. Ukraine has been fending off a Russian invasion for almost two years. Martial law gives the military more rights. In addition, regular parliamentary and presidential elections have been suspended. Men between the ages of 18 and 60 who are liable for military service are only allowed to leave the country in exceptional cases.

Secret service spied on journalists
Meanwhile, it was announced on Monday that a high-ranking representative of the Ukrainian secret service (SBU) had been dismissed for spying on investigative journalists. According to SBU circles, the head of the secret service's state security department, Roman Sementschenko, was fired. The decision was made by the head of the secret service and approved by President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Several cases of surveillance of Ukrainian investigative journalists have recently come to light. The case of Bihus.info, a platform known for its corruption revelations, caused a particularly big stir. Its journalists found out in mid-January that they had been secretly filmed and bugged over a long period of time. Other journalists were also spied on.