Putin seeks parliamentary go-ahead for use of Russian armed forces in Crimea

18:03, 01.03.2014 1 min read

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday asked the upper house of Russia's parliament for permission to activate Russian armed forces stationed in Crimea, the Kremlin said in a statement.

"Due to the extraordinary situation that has taken shape in Ukraine and the threat to the lives of citizens of the Russian Federation, our compatriots, and the personnel of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation who are deployed on the territory of Ukraine [ the Autonomous Republic of Crimea ] under an international treaty, I hereby introduce, under Clause (g) of Part 1 of Article 2012 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, an appeal for the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine pending the normalization of the social and political situation in that country," Putin said in a message to the Federation Council.