Civilians in Ukraine are allowed to open fire on troops identifiable as hostile forces, under a new law that went into effect this week, Ukrainian media said.

According to the law, which went into effect on Monday, foreigners and the stateless living legally in the country can also obtain weapons and use them against Russian soldiers involved in the ongoing attack of Ukraine.

Issuance of weapons will be regulated by the Interior Ministry. Any weapons and leftover ammunition issued are to be returned no later than 10 days after the end of the martial law currently in force.

Assault rifles and ammunition had already been issued indiscriminately in the first days of the war, especially in Kyiv. Gunbattles broke out and were only stopped after the imposition of a strict curfew. The Kremlin criticized the permission now granted.

"If someone with a weapon in his hand attacks a Russian soldier, then he also becomes a target," the Kremlin's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.