Putin ask for Authorization to send Russian troops to the Ukraine
Russia's upper house of parliament has approved President Putin's request for Russian forces to be used in Ukraine.
He had asked that Russian forces be used "until the normalisation of the political situation in the country".
Russia's Black Sea Fleet is based in the Ukrainian region of Crimea, where many ethnic Russians live.
Ukraine's acting President Olexander Turchynov said he had put the army on full alert but urged people to remain calm.
In a televised address, he asked Ukrainians to bridge divisions in the country and said they must not fall for provocations.
There have been big pro-Russian rallies in several Ukrainian cities outside Crimea:
* In Donetsk, Mr Yanukovych's traditional stronghold, demonstrators from a crowd of some 7,000 tried unsuccessfully to occupy the regional administration building, raising a Russian tricolour on a nearby flag-post
* In Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-biggest city, dozens of people were injured after scuffles between pro- and anti-Russian protesters broke out outside the regional administration building
* In Mariupol, in the south-east, hundreds of protesters carrying Russian flags gathered outside the city council in eastern and southern Ukraine.
Red Line
Russia's Vladimir Putin submitted the request for troops "in connection with the extraordinary situation in Ukraine and the threat to the lives of Russian citizens", the Kremlin said.
The upper house went into a special session almost immediately after Mr Putin made the request, and swiftly approved it.
Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin said, however, that this "does not mean that this right will be used quickly" to deploy troops.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron said his government viewed the unfolding crisis "with growing concern".
"There can be no excuse for outside military intervention in Ukraine - a point I made to President Putin when we spoke yesterday," he said on Saturday.
Top Ukrainian politician Vitali Klitschko has urged the interim government to declare a "national mobilisation".
The UN Security Council is expected to hold an emergency session in the coming hours, and EU foreign ministers will meet on Monday to discuss the situation.
Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26400035
Russia's upper house of parliament has approved President Putin's request for Russian forces to be used in Ukraine.
He had asked that Russian forces be used "until the normalisation of the political situation in the country".
Russia's Black Sea Fleet is based in the Ukrainian region of Crimea, where many ethnic Russians live.
Ukraine's acting President Olexander Turchynov said he had put the army on full alert but urged people to remain calm.
In a televised address, he asked Ukrainians to bridge divisions in the country and said they must not fall for provocations.
There have been big pro-Russian rallies in several Ukrainian cities outside Crimea:
* In Donetsk, Mr Yanukovych's traditional stronghold, demonstrators from a crowd of some 7,000 tried unsuccessfully to occupy the regional administration building, raising a Russian tricolour on a nearby flag-post
* In Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-biggest city, dozens of people were injured after scuffles between pro- and anti-Russian protesters broke out outside the regional administration building
* In Mariupol, in the south-east, hundreds of protesters carrying Russian flags gathered outside the city council in eastern and southern Ukraine.
Red Line
Russia's Vladimir Putin submitted the request for troops "in connection with the extraordinary situation in Ukraine and the threat to the lives of Russian citizens", the Kremlin said.
The upper house went into a special session almost immediately after Mr Putin made the request, and swiftly approved it.
Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin said, however, that this "does not mean that this right will be used quickly" to deploy troops.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron said his government viewed the unfolding crisis "with growing concern".
"There can be no excuse for outside military intervention in Ukraine - a point I made to President Putin when we spoke yesterday," he said on Saturday.
Top Ukrainian politician Vitali Klitschko has urged the interim government to declare a "national mobilisation".
The UN Security Council is expected to hold an emergency session in the coming hours, and EU foreign ministers will meet on Monday to discuss the situation.
Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26400035
