Goodbye to pyrotechnics: Ukraine bans the use of fireworks for war with Russia

Ukraine’s parliament has banned the use of fireworks in the country to prevent trauma to Ukrainians who have been exposed to countless explosions since their territory was invaded by Russia.

The decision taken by the Verkhovna Rada was communicated by the deputy of the Servant of the People party, Yevgenia Kravchuckon his Facebook account.

“Finally, fireworks are prohibited by law!”, reported – and celebrated – the policy related to the president Volodimir Zelenskywho, moreover, was the one who initiated the law.

A total of 290 deputies from the 450-seat Verkhovna Rada voted in favor of the law.

Kravchuk explained that firecrackers and fireworks bring “unbearable memories” for Ukrainians that “ruin” any party atmosphere. The deputy also welcomed the suffering that this ban will prevent animals.

Firecrackers of the F1 type are exempt from the ban, considered to be of low danger and low noise and intended for use in delimited areas which include the interior of residential buildings.

The law – which outlaws both the use and sale of pyrotechnic items – will enter into force after a six-month moratorium which will be extended to a year in the case of exports.

Counteroffensive

Ukrainian forces have been facing the Russian invasion for months in the cities and trenches of the east of the country, and now that the troops in Moscow seem to be losing strength, they feel that the time has come for a counter-offensive, for the moment without a precise date.

“If our general staff says we have enough soldiers, enough shells and enough of everything to attack, we are ready,” a Ukrainian soldier with the nom de guerre Mark in the Donetsk region told AFP.

Russia suffered major setbacks last yearhaving to withdraw from the areas of kyiv and Kharkov (east) and from the city of Kherson, to the south.

Military experts believe that this time the Ukrainian troops have little room to prevail.

Ukraine says it has formed assault brigades and stockpiled ammunition as it works to give its soldiers breathing space and exhaust the enemy on the front lines. It also received tanks and long-range artillery from its western partners.

All this for this long-awaited counter-offensive, which is increasingly being presented as a last-ditch effort to push Muscovite forces back from the occupied territories.

“Who knows when Ukraine will have this opportunity again? It’s now or never“, he sums up Mikola Bielieskovresearcher at the National Institute of Strategic Studies in Kiev.

Russia will react to Western attempts to undermine its relations with its key allies, post-Soviet bloc countries and others participating in major regional integration organizations promoted by Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned today .

Fountain: AFP and EFE