Ukraine president considers martial law citing Russian invasion threat

(Vatican Radio)  Ukraine’s president has warned of “a full-scale Russian invasion” and says Kiev may have to impose martial law. Petro Poroshenko made the remarks amid reports of ongoing fighting between government forces and Russia-backed seperatists in eastern Ukraine that killed several Ukrainian soldiers in recent days.

Listen to Stefan Bos' report:

Speaking in the Lviv region, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said the likelihood of an escalation of the conflict with Russia and Russia-back separatists in eastern Ukraine “remains significant”.

He warned that if the situation in eastern Ukraine and the region of Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, continues to deteriorate Kiev will in his words "impose martial law and order mobilization.”

Poroshenko accused what he called “the enemy” of trying to undermine the Minsk peace process aimed at settling the conflict and of making “absolutely irresponsible statements” about possibly withdrawing from the so-called Normandy format of talks.

Soldiers killed

It was a clear reference to Russia, which has also been accused by Kiev of placing more than 40,000 troops in Crimea and other areas as well as along its borders with Ukraine.

Earlier, the military said three Ukrainian soldiers were killed in fighting against the Russia-backed separatists.

The Organization for Sexurity and Cooperation in Europe have expressed concern about the situation.

Alexander Hug, is the First Deputy Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, or SMM. "Approximately 40 percent of all reported ceasefire violations happened between eight in the evening and eight in the morning. The percentage of artillery explosions recorded by the SMM  during night hours was even higher ,83 percent," he said.

Many weapons

"Violence does not materialize out of thin air. It requires weapons, and believe me weapons are everywhere along the conflict line, despite the sides telling us they have withdrawn them," the official added.

Ukraine's Military says separatists have fired more than 500 mortar shells and over 300 artillery shells in the last 24 hours in what a spokesman called “a similar level of intensity of fire” to what the country experienced a year ago.

The United Nations says more than 9,500 people have been killed in the conflict since it began in early 2014.