Ukraine's parliament declares a state of emergency as Russian threat grows
A look back at 23 February 2022, when the Verkhovna Rada introduced emergency rule across most of the country after Moscow's recognition of the breakaway territories.
What did Ukraine's authorities do as the threat of a Russian attack mounted? On 23 February 2022, the Verkhovna Rada introduced a state of emergency across the whole territory of Ukraine, except for the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The reason given was the threat of an attack by the Russian Federation.
The decision followed several days of rapid moves in Moscow. On 21 February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed decrees recognising the independence of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic, with immediate effect. He also asked the Russian parliament to ratify treaties on friendship and mutual aid with the two breakaway territories.
The same day, Putin addressed the nation. He described Ukraine as a country with no tradition of independent statehood and as an artificial creation of Vladimir Lenin, the founder of the Soviet Union. He also called it a U.S. puppet regime rife with corruption, and repeated his claim that Ukraine joining NATO would be a security risk to Russia.
Reactions on 22 February
On 22 February 2022, the Russian parliament ratified the friendship and cooperation treaties with the Donetsk and Luhansk entities, following Putin's request of the previous day. Foreign ministers of European Union member states agreed on a package of new sanctions against Russia the same day. In Berlin, anti-war protesters gathered at the Russian Embassy to oppose Putin's decision to send soldiers to the separatist regions of Ukraine.
The emergency measure
Against that backdrop, the Rada's vote on 23 February 2022 put emergency rule in place for most of the country. The exclusion of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions from its scope was part of the decision as reported at the time.
The sequence of 21, 22 and 23 February 2022 shows the pace of events: recognition decreed in Moscow, ratification by the Russian parliament, sanctions agreed by EU foreign ministers, and then a formal emergency response in Kyiv.
