The key facts

  • Zelensky signed a decree on building a

Decree on all-round defense of cities

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree this week under which the country will begin building a reports Gazeta.Ru, citing RIA Novosti.

Expert assessments

Gazeta.Ru military columnist, retired colonel Mikhail Khodarenok, suggested that Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Dnipro, Sumy, Poltava and Zaporizhzhia would be fortified first. In his view, the decree stems from fears of a front-line collapse after Russian troops took control of the Orikhiv and Slovyansk-Kramatorsk fortified areas.

Reaction inside the country

Political scientist Ruslan Bortnik said that building defensive rings will increase pressure on public opinion and cause panic

Context

Earlier, the Kremlin responded to a question about the date of a new round of talks in the Russia–US–Ukraine format. Khodarenok's and Bortnik's assessments are the opinions of commentators: no official list of cities or construction timelines is given in the available publications, nor is there any confirmation of the stated reason for the decree.