President Zelensky & Parliamentary Leaders Mulled Emergency Declaration

Ukrayinska Pravda sources said that the idea of declaring a state of emergency (possibly limited to regions bordering Russia) was raised during Tuesday meeting between President Zelensky and heads of parliamentary groups in Verkhovna Rada.

• Zelensky reportedly urged lawmakers to draw a line under political and personal antipathies and work towards effective management of the ongoing security crisis. Head of the ruling Servant of the People party caucus Davyd Arakhamia said that MPs agreed to cooperate in a so called "defence coalition."
  
• The proposal to introduce a state of emergeny was reportedly made by the President and several parliamentary faction leaders. Sources told Pravda that "the decision will be made taking into account what will happen in the area of the Joint Forces Operation on the night of February 23."
• Security officers present at the meeting cited intelligence noting that "Russia does not plan to stop in Donbass and wants to continue the military escalation." They listed Kharkiv, Kherson and Kyiv as places most at risk, with situation in eastern Ukraine expected to deteriorate over the next two days.