Reports: Ukraine bans all male citizens ages 18 to 60 from leaving the country
The Ukraine State Border Guard Service has announced that men ages 18 to 60 were prohibited from leaving the country, according to reports.
Thursday's action came after Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's declaration of martial law across the country after Russia invaded Ukraine and attacked major cities, including the capital, Kyiv.
"In particular, it is forbidden for men aged 18-60, Ukraine citizens, to leave the borders of Ukraine," a statement from the service said, according to CNN. "This regulation will remain in effect for the period of the legal regime of martial law. We ask the citizens to take this information into consideration."
Under martial law, military officials are in charge of applying law and not civilian leaders or police. It is usually invoked in times of war when the rule of law has broken down.
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Zelenskyy announced that 137 Ukrainian soldiers and civilians have been killed with hundreds more wounded in the attack. On the second day of the full-scale invasion, the Kremlin forces appeared to be advancing on Kyiv, Ukraine's capital.
Russia has received international backlash for the "unprovoked and unjustified" invasion. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called it a "brutal act of war." President Joe Biden was set to meet with NATO heads of state early Friday to discuss the crisis.
Contributing: Kim Hjelmgaard, Luciana Lopez
Follow reporter Asha Gilbert @Coastalasha. Email: agilbert@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ukraine bans male citizens aged 18 to 60 from leaving: report