Ukraine’s parliament has voted to extend martial law and general mobilization for another 90 days, as the country’s war with Russia enters its third year.
In a session on Wednesday, 357 members of the Verkhovna Rada backed President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s proposal to prolong martial law, with only one vote against. A separate vote saw 346 MPs support the extension of general mobilization, again with just one opposing vote.
The current terms were due to expire in May. With the latest extension, both measures will remain in effect until at least 6 August 2025. This marks the fifteenth time martial law and mobilization have been extended since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
The proposals were submitted to parliament by President Zelenskyy on 15 April.
Ahead of the vote, Oleksiy Goncharenko, an MP from the opposition
European Solidarity party, said he would not support the extensions. He criticised the lack of a defined term of service for those already drafted and the government’s failure to implement demobilization measures.
Martial law and general mobilization have been in place since the beginning of Russia’s invasion, which President Vladimir Putin declared was aimed at the “demilitarization and denazification” of Ukraine.
The war was preceded by Moscow’s recognition of two separatist regions in eastern Ukraine – the self-declared Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics. Since then, Russia has claimed to annex four regions – Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Luhansk – despite not having full control over any of them.
Ukraine, which has steadfastly refused to recognize the occupation of its territories, continues to pursue membership in NATO and the European Union, and has called for robust international security guarantees to ensure its sovereignty.
Russia, in contrast, has insisted that Kyiv’s neutrality and formal recognition of the occupied regions as part of Russian territory are prerequisites for any peace agreement.
