Vladimir Putin, Russia’s leader, signed a law on Wednesday, October 19th that declares martial law in four regions of Ukraine including: Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Luhansk. Russia doesn’t currently control every part of those regions because Ukrainian military forces are fighting back fiercely.

Ukraine has labeled the law as a “state of terror” because Russia is now relocating the residents in the area. The Ukrainian troops have demonstrated great strength in this fight and are showing integrity when fighting a global superpower. Vladimir Putin and his other Russian leaders are becoming relentless and even using drones supplied by Iran against Ukrainian troops. After Russia retreated from Lyman, Ukrainian National Police discovered the largest mass grave in the war so far. 146 corpses were found with 111 being civilians and 35 being military personnel. According to a CNN team, they reported seeing bodies with their hands tied behind their backs in graves. 

According to the Ukrainian National Police, “Some victims had metal shrapnel in their bodies while others had shown signs of having suffered a much more violent death.” Russia declaring martial law means that the Ukrainian citizens that shouldn’t have been brought into the war will have to fight against themselves. Declaring martial law means Russia is continuing to struggle to break the Ukrainian pride and perseverance.