Ukraine has unveiled emergency plans to arm its civilian population as reports emerge of what appears to be a full-scale Russian invasion.

The Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) announced that it had approved a preliminary bill giving civilians the right to bear arms yesterday (Wednesday, 23rd February). The bill also covers how these weapons will circulate.

The preliminary bill was approved by 274 representatives, with just four voting against it.

The contents of the draft bill are understood to give Ukrainian civilians the right to bear firearms and ammunition, with the document, reportedly geared specifically towards civilians and not the military, saying: “The requirements of this Law do not apply to the acquisition, storage, accounting and use of firearms, ammunition for them, the maintenance of shooting galleries, shooting ranges and stands in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, military formations created in accordance with the legislation of Ukraine, bodies and educational institutions of the Security Service of Ukraine and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.”

The bill does say, however, that regular civilians will be allowed to own most types of firearms as long as they are not rifles with calibers exceeding 12.7 millimetres and capable of firing bullets at speeds exceeding 700 metres per second.

The bill also restricts civilian usage of armour piercing, incendiary and explosive ammunition, as well as projectiles. Revolvers and short-barrelled firearms are also prohibited in the draft bill.

Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov, 55, is quoted in Ukrainian media as saying: “I am convinced that this needs to be done. Because in Ukraine there is no law that, in principle, regulates the circulation of weapons.

“We regulate this only by departmental acts. Therefore, I very sincerely believe that the Ukrainian parliament will finally adopt a law in which everything will be normalised.”

In a previous interview, the defence minister had also said: “Weapons should be legalised, it should be described who should have what firearms. People should have the right to keep – not carry – a short-barrelled weapon, in many countries this is the case, and this increases the safety of the citizen, helps law enforcement agencies, and reduces crime, that’s for sure.”

At the time of writing, reports were breaking stating that Russian military convoys had crossed the border into Ukraine in the northern Chernihiv and Sumy regions, and in the eastern Luhansk and Kharkiv regions, quoting the Ukrainian border guard service (DPSU).

The BBC is reporting that Russian forces have launched a major military assault on the country, with reports of missile strikes and explosions in major cities. Ukrainian police have reported that seven people have died so far as a result of bombing by Russian forces.

Ukrainian border guards have reportedly been injured by artillery fire said to have preceded the invasion.

NATO member states have reacted with outrage, accusing Moscow of breaking international law. European powers and the United States have been applying sanctions on Moscow, but many commentators have argued that they are lacklustre and do not go far enough.