REPORT: Russian upper house approves use of troops on Ukrainian soil

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01-03-2014 | 07:25
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REPORT: Russian upper house approves use of troops on Ukrainian soil
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REPORT: Russian upper house approves use of troops on Ukrainian soil

Ukraine's acting president signed on Saturday a decree declaring the appointment of a pro-Russia premier in the Crimea region illegal.
   
Sergei Aksyonov was appointed in Crimea this week after armed men took over the regional parliament. The presidential decree said the decision had violated the Ukrainian constitution. It gave no details.
   
Aksyonov has appealed for Russia's assistance to restore calm on the Black Sea peninsula, the only region in Ukraine that has an ethnic Russian majority. Ukraine's new leaders face a challenge to their authority in the region.

Earlier, pro-Russia activists clashed with supporters of the new Ukrainian government in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv and tried to seize the regional governor's headquarters, Interfax news agency said.

The agency said that several thousands people had gathered outside the building, and some broke in and raised the Russian  flag.

This comes as Ukrainian border guard vessels were put on combat alert in the Crimea region and were leaving base to prevent the capture of military bases and ships, Interfax news agency quoted the border guard service as saying.
   
It quoted Sergei Astakhov, an official at the border guard service, as saying "all legal measures" were being taken to this end.

This as, the pro-Russia authorities in Ukraine's Crimea region and Russia's Black Sea fleet have agreed to guard buildings on the Black Sea peninsula together, Russia's RIA news agency quoted the fleet's press service as saying.
   
Sergei Aksyonov, the region's premier, had said that Russian servicemen were already guarding some buildings. The Black Sea fleet has a base in Crimea.

This comes after the International airport at Simferopol, the main city in  Ukraine's Crimea region, said its airspace was closed and there were no flights to or from the airport.

"Due to limitations in the use of the airspace, the airport has temporarily suspended receiving flights," the airport said in a written statement.

Also on Saturday, Ukraine's defense minister said Russia had "recently" brought 6,000 additional personnel into Ukraine and that the Ukrainian military were on high alert in the Crimea region.

Ihor Tenyukh gave no further details in comments to reporters in Kiev.   

Meanwhile, the pro-Russian prime minister of Ukraine's restive Crimea claimed control of all military, police and other security services in the region and appealed to Russia's president for help in keeping peace there.           

In a statement reported by local and Russian news agencies, Sergei Aksenov declared that the armed forces, the police, the national security service and border guards will answer only to his orders. He said any commanders who don't agree should leave their posts.             
"Understanding my responsibility for the life and security of citizens, I appeal to the president of Russia Vladimir Putin for assistance in guaranteeing peace and calmness on the territory of the autonomous republic of Crimea," Aksenov said in his statement.                

Aksenov, the head of the main pro-Russia party on the peninsula, was appointed by the Crimean parliament on Thursday as tensions soared over Crimea's resistance to the new authorities in Kiev, who took power last week.             

Armed men described as Russian troops on Friday took control of key airports in Crimea, where the Russian Black Sea Fleet is based.        

Reactions:

Russia's upper house of parliament will ask President Vladimir Putin to recall Moscow's ambassador from the United States, the chamber's speaker said on Saturday.
   
Valentina Matviyenko, the head of the Federation Council,  asked the Council's Committee on Foreign Affairs to draw up a proposal setting out the demands to Putin.

This as Russia's upper house of parliament approved a proposal by President Vladimir Putin to deploy Russian armed forces in Ukraine's Crimea region.
   
The Federation Council voted overwhelmingly to back a proposal to use "the armed forces of the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine until the normalization of the socio-political situation in that country."
   
It said the decision took effect immediately.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin has asked the upper house of parliament to approve sending armed forces to Ukraine's Crimea region, the Kremlin said in a statement.
   
"In connection with the extraordinary situation in Ukraine, the threat to the lives of citizens of the Russian Federation, our compatriots, and the personnel of the armed forces of the Russian Federation on Ukrainian territory (in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea) ... I submit a proposal on using the armed forces of the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine until the normalization of the socio-political situation in the that country," the statement said.

Meanwhile, Russia is refusing to hold talks with Ukraine under the auspices of an agreement that guarantees the country's territorial integrity, Interfax news agency quoted Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrij Deshchitsya as saying.
   
Ukraine had asked for consultations with Moscow after accusing it of deploying its military in the Crimea region.
   
"We are very worried about today's information that Russia has refused to take part," the minister said.

This comes as Russia's Lower House of Parliament, the Duma, has asked President Vladimir Putin to take measures to stabilize the situation in Ukraine's Crimea, the news agency Interfax cited the speaker of the Duma as saying.
   
"The Duma Council adopted an appeal to the president of Russia, in which parliamentarians are calling on the president to take measures to stabilize the situation in Crimea and use all available means to protect the people of Crimea from tyranny and violence," Interfax cited Sergei Naryshkin as saying.

This as, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Moscow is "extremely concerned" about the recent developments in Ukraine's Crimea, which it said confirm the desire of Kiev's politicians to destabilize the situation on the peninsula.
   
"In Russia, we are extremely concerned about the recent developments in Crimea," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
   
"We believe it is extremely irresponsible to further pressure the already tense situation in the Crimea," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

On another note, Ukraine is unlikely to receive financial assistance from the International Monetary Fund before April, Ukrainian Finance Minister Oleksander Shlapak was quoted as saying on Saturday.
   
Ukraine, which faces a further $6 billion in foreign debt payments this year, has asked the IMF for financial assistance of at least $15 billion. An IMF team is expected in Kiev next week.


International positions:

EU foreign ministers will hold an emergency meeting in Brussels on Monday to discuss the situation in Ukraine, an EU diplomat said.
   
"There will be an extraordinary meeting on Ukraine on Monday. Most likely after 1 PM," said the diplomat.

This comes as British Foreign Secretary William Hague said he had spoken to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to call for a de-escalation of the situation in Ukraine's Crimea.
   
"Have spoken to Foreign Minister Lavrov to call for de-escalation in Crimea and respect for sovereignty and independence of Ukraine," Hague tweeted.
   
Hague said on Friday he would travel to Ukraine on Sunday to hold talks with the new leadership after Prime Minister David Cameron told Russia to respect the volatile nation's territorial integrity. Cameron spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.



REUTERS/AP


To watch the full report, please click on the video above.

 

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