The Ukrainian government appears to be moving swiftly to impose martial law in its restive eastern regions after heavily armed separatists seized control of two bases and a border crossing in Luhansk Oblast that could be used to funnel fresh fighters and weapons from Russia into Ukraine.

A declaration of martial law would need to be

signed by President-elect Petro Poroshenko following his inauguration on June

7. He said after his election win on May 25 that he planned to end the conflict “in hours,

not months.” However, in a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama in Poland

on June 4, he took a softer tone, saying that he would seek a peaceful

settlement to the conflict in the east.