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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. Kiev has reacted angrily to days of military
movements in Crimea, accusing Moscow of trying to provoke the new government into an armed
conflict. President Vladimir Putin submitted the request
"in connection with the extraordinary situation in Ukraine and the threat to the lives of
Russian citizens", the Kremlin said. The BBC's Richard Galpin in Moscow notes that
he refers to the "territory of Ukraine" rather than specifically to Crimea, implying that
troops could be used in other pro-Russian parts of eastern and southern Ukraine.
'Provocation' The request follow days of military activity
in Crimea during which unidentified armed men moved in to take over the regional parliament,
state television and telecommunications hubs. Soldiers from Russia's Black Sea Fleet, which
is based in Crimea, are reported to be guarding some administrative buildings and military
bases. Amid the closure of airspace over Crimea's
regional capital Simferopol on Friday evening, there were unconfirmed reports that Russian
planes were flying in thousands of troops. Ukrainian Defence Minister Ihor Tenyukh said
on Saturday there are now an extra 6,000 Russian troops in Crimea, alongside an additional
30 armoured vehicles. Under the agreement governing the presence
of the fleet in Crimea, the Russians must co-ordinate all troop movements outside the
fleet's base with the Ukrainian authorities beforehand.
The newly-elected pro-Moscow leader of Crimea, Sergiy Aksyonov, earlier said he had appealed
to Mr Putin for help to ensure peace on the peninsula - a request which the Kremlin said
it would "not leave unnoticed". Events in Crimea have angered the new interim
government in Kiev - which does not recognise the province's new leadership - and has alarmed
Western leaders. Ukraine's acting President Oleksander Turchynov
accused Russia of trying to provoke Kiev into "armed conflict", but said they would not
react. US President Barack Obama has warned of the
"costs" of any Russian intervention in the Ukraine.