UPDATE - Ukraine’s parliament approves bills on further extending mobilization, martial law

ADDS REMARKS BY KREMLIN ON EXTENSION OF MOBILIZATION, MARTIAL LAW IN UKRAINE

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Ukraine’s parliament on Wednesday approved two bills further extending the country’s mobilization and martial law for another 90 days.

The adoption of the draft bills was announced by Ukrainian lawmaker Yaroslav Zheleznyak, who said on Telegram that the bill on mobilization passed with the support of 346 deputies, while the bill on extending martial law was adopted with 347 votes in favor.

Zheleznyak further said that each bill received one vote against it.

The two bills, submitted to Ukraine's parliament by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday, proposed extending martial law in Ukraine from May 9 to Aug. 6.

Commenting on the extensions, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov claimed that Ukraine is trying to "preserve its unstable structure."

"The Kyiv regime still has a ban on conducting any negotiations for itself. It should not be forgotten that this is officially prohibited for the president of Ukraine," Peskov told journalists in Moscow.

Zelenskyy first declared martial law and general mobilization on Feb. 24, 2022, when Russia launched its "special military operation" in Ukraine.

The measures have been extended multiple times since then.