Russia Reportedly Weighing Martial Law Amid Battlefield Setbacks

According to the independent Russian outlet Vyorstka, Russian authorities are considering the possibility of introducing martial law across the country. A trigger for such a move could be a major setback on the front line or a significant slowdown in the recruitment of contract soldiers.

Under Russian law, martial law would bring a sweeping set of restrictive measures: a curfew, limits on freedom of movement, the conscription of citizens to work at defence industry enterprises, the confiscation of property for military needs, the suspension of elections, and tighter censorship. Martial law can be declared by the president and would remain in force until lifted by presidential decree.

The regime would also allow for the suspension of political parties and public organisations, along with a ban on public gatherings. According to the outlet, some elements of this framework — military censorship in particular — are effectively already in place in Russia.

Sources reportedly do not rule out a new wave of mobilisation, tighter currency regulations, travel bans abroad for certain categories of citizens, and other restrictive measures. In some regions, there are said to be discussions about forcibly converting part of citizens' bank deposits into war bonds intended to help cover the budget deficit.

Earlier, analysts at the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) drew attention to amendments to the law on the National Guard (Rosgvardia), published on 20 July. In their assessment, the new provisions — which prepare the agency for operations under mobilisation and martial law — may signal that authorities are gearing up for a further tightening of the regime.

"Completely destroy Wildberries"

Meanwhile, other signals point to a possible widening of the conflict. Denis Shtylerman, co-owner and chief designer of the Ukrainian defence company Fire Point, said in an interview with journalist Dmitry Gordon that Ukraine intends to "completely destroy" Russia's largest online marketplaces, Wildberries and Ozon. According to him, Wildberries supplies the Russian military, including components for drones.

Shtylerman also said that his company, which produces the "Flamingo" cruise missile and heavy long-range drones, expects Kyiv to begin striking targets inside Russia — including Moscow — this autumn, once testing of the new missile systems is complete. These claims have not been confirmed by independent sources.

Source: novinky.cz