SBU chief comments on cons and pros of possible martial law in Donbas

"On the one hand, we are seeing that there is an ongoing war in the east of Ukraine, that is de jure called ATO [Anti-Terrorist Operation]. But it’s still war, because even now, in violation of Minsk agreements, heavy artillery is active, and people are dying. Meanwhile, de facto, the Ukrainian society, Ukrainian political elite, political leadership allow for mass rallies to be held," he said.

Read alsoUkraine estimates potential losses in first two days of full-scale war with RussiaHrytsak also believes that it would have been easier for the country to deal with the problems in the east, had the state of emergency or martial law been introduced.

"But in this case, we would have gone more than a dozen steps back in our Euro-Atlantic aspirations, as this would have automatically assumed introduction of censorship, the ban on assembly, re-election and much more. Therefore, this is the biggest challenge," said the head of the SBU.