In preparation for an imminent Russian invasion, Ukraine began on Wednesday to mobilize all its reserve soldiers aged between 18 and 60 and is preparing to impose a state of emergency across the country.

President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday ordered the call-up of reserve soldiers. The Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council also called for a 30-day state of emergency, a decision that must first be approved by parliament within 48 hours.

The state of emergency will be applied across the country except for the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, where it has already been in effect since pro-Russian separatists partially took control in 2014.

For his part, the Secretary of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council, Oleksiy Danilov, confirmed that "this will allow the government to strengthen the protection of public order and strategic infrastructure, limit transportation movement, and intensify vehicle and citizen document checks."