Martial law begins in ten oblasts after Kerch Strait clash
An analysis of 28 November 2018, when Ukraine's martial law took effect and diplomatic pressure over the Kerch Strait incident was building.
What did martial law mean for Ukraine on 28 November 2018, the day it took effect in ten oblasts? It was the formal consequence of a maritime clash three days earlier, and it set the tone for how Kyiv and its partners handled the crisis.
The trigger
The Kerch Strait incident occurred on 25 November 2018. Russian Federal Security Service coast guard vessels fired upon and captured three Ukrainian Navy vessels that were trying to pass from the Black Sea into the Sea of Azov on their way to the port of Mariupol. It was the first time Russian forces had openly engaged Ukrainian forces during the Russo-Ukrainian War.
The legal response
On 26 November 2018, the Verkhovna Rada approved the introduction of martial law, citing the aggression of Russian border vessels against Ukrainian Navy ships in the Kerch Strait. The measure covered ten oblasts and ran for 30 days, starting on 28 November 2018. The limited geographical scope and fixed term were the defining features of the decision: it was not a nationwide measure, and it carried a clear end date.
The diplomatic track
The same day, Russia asked for an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council. Also on 26 November, the Kerch Strait was reopened to commercial shipping. On 27 November 2018, US President Donald Trump said he might cancel his planned meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires because of the clash. The maritime incident was therefore already affecting the agenda of leaders' talks before martial law began.
Other business
On 26 November, an international tribunal in Paris ruled that Russia should pay Oschadbank 1.3 billion dollars. On 28 November 2018, a Cabinet of Ministers decree returned the buildings of the Pochaiv Lavra to the Kremenets-Pochaiv Reserve. These were separate matters from the crisis, but they show that ordinary state business continued alongside the security decisions.
Why the day mattered
The sequence over these days was quick: a clash at sea, a parliamentary vote within a day, and a legal regime in force by 28 November. The Rada's decision tied the measure explicitly to the Kerch Strait events, and Russia's call for a Security Council session and the US president's remarks about his meeting with Putin showed the incident drawing in international institutions and major capitals almost at once.
