Ukrainian officials will no longer be allowed to leave the country unless on official business, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced late Monday, just as Moscow said it was implementing new border measures.
“Officials will no longer be able to travel abroad for vacation or for any other non-governmental purpose,” Zelenskyy said.
The Ukrainian president said he had signed a decree which applied to “all those who are supposed to work for the state and in the state.”
Kyiv’s move to close ranks comes as several Ukrainian officials, including Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, who is accused of having bought military rations at inflated prices, are being investigated in two major corruption probes.
Several officials, including Deputy Defense Minister Vyacheslav Shapovalov, announced their resignations on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, it will become mandatory for anyone crossing Russian borders by car to book a time and a place at a border crossing, state news agency TASS reported on Monday. According to several Russian outlets, the measure will apply from March 1.
These new border measures could be a sign that Moscow is preparing to speed up its mobilization efforts.
Many Russian citizens had fled the country after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilization last September, calling 300,000 conscripts to serve in the Russian military.
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