Ukraine proposed a 30-day state of emergency and started to draft reservists ages 18 to 60 on Wednesday in the latest sign President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is preparing for a serious confrontation with Russia.
The maximum service period is for one year, according to Reuters.
Mr. Zelenskyy told Ukrainians late Tuesday to fight for their country and that he would “raise the preparedness of the Ukrainian army to all possible changes in the operational situation.”
“We need to quickly replenish the Ukrainian army and other military formations. As the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, I issued a decree on the conscription of reservists in a special period,” Mr. Zelenskyy said.
The Ukrainian government’s decision to declare a state of emergency, pending parliamentary approval, allows it to conduct inspections and impose new security measures.
The government also called on Ukrainian nationals within Russia to leave, saying it would be difficult to ensure their safety.
At the same time, Mr. Zelenskyy told residents not to panic and that general conscription was not necessary.
Mr. Zelenskyy is cobbling together forces after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into eastern Ukraine, dubbing it a “peacekeeping” mission in parts of the Donbas region he recognized as independent.
The action sparked a flurry of sanctions from the U.S. and western nations.
The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday said the European Union planned to sanction Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Russia’s Internet Research Agency, which had been previously sanctioned for allegedly meddling in the 2016 U.S. elections.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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