He stated this on February 14 on the air of the 1 + 1 channel, commenting on the information that more than 20 people’s deputies are now out of the country.
“A month ago, I prepared amendments to the law on the state of emergency and martial law, where I clearly prescribed a ban on all category A officials, governors, [сотрудникам] National Bank, deputies and so on to leave the country if a state of emergency is introduced. I showed the president [Владимиру Зеленскому]. I say: “I want to register.” Already then there was a big panic, he said: “You will file now, that’s right, but people will panic, they will say that we are preparing for martial law.” Well I put [законопроект] on the shelf. Now, seeing the situation with the HLE and others, I will register. Tomorrow I will register this bill. For this to be a law and people to understand that it is forbidden,” he said.
Context:
Amid reports of a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, a number of Ukrainian businessmen have left Ukraine. February 13th only about 20 charters flew from Kiev and private jets, Ukrayinska Pravda reported.
The Security Service of Ukraine on the morning of February 14 announced that the country is facing unprecedented attempts to whip up panic, “the spread of fakes and distortion of the real state of affairs.” The intelligence service noted that they record such manifestations of a hybrid war in social networks, the media and statements by some Ukrainian politicians who spread Russian propaganda narratives.
On January 24, after the meeting of the National Security and Defense Council, which considered, in particular, issues of national security, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that “everything is calm, there is no reason to panic”. Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Alexei Danilov on the same day said that a full-scale invasion of Russia now impossible.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said at the end of January that despite a significant buildup of Russian troops, not a single strike group createdneeded to go on the offensive. On February 8, he said that along the entire border with Ukraine from the Russian Federation, Belarus and the temporarily occupied territories there are 140 thousand militaryincluding air and sea component.
11 February a number of countries, including USAcalled on their citizens to urgently leave Ukraine due to a likely escalation.
Zelensky said on February 12 that government understands the risksbut in his opinion, there is now too much information in the information space regarding a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, which provokes panic.
On February 14, Zelensky called on Ukrainian politicians and businessmen who left the country to return home within the next day.
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