President Putin asks Russia's upper house of parliament for permission to send troops to Ukraine's Crimea, the Kremlin says.
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March 1, 2014 -- Updated 1041 GMT (1841 HKT)
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Putin asks for approval to use Russian troops in Ukraine
By Laura Smith-Spark. Diana Magnay and Ingrid Formanek, CNN
March 1, 2014 -- Updated 1451 GMT (2251 HKT)
Armed men patrol outside the
Simferopol International Airport in Ukraine's Crimea region on Friday,
February 28. The gunmen, whom Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov
called part of an "armed invasion" by Russian forces, appeared around
the airport without identifying themselves. Crimea is an autonomous
republic of Ukraine with an ethnic Russian majority. It's the last large
bastion of opposition to Ukraine's new political leadership after
President Viktor Yanukovych's ouster.
Ukraine in transition
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STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: President Vladimir Putin asks for approval to send Russian troops into Crimea
- Ukrainian official: 300 gunmen in Russian uniforms trying to seize a coast guard site
- Scuffles break out in eastern city of Kharkiv between pro-Russian, pro-EU protesters
- Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk says Ukraine won't be provoked into using force
Simferopol, Ukraine (CNN) -- Russian President
Vladimir Putin has asked the upper house of parliament for approval to
send Russian troops into Ukraine's Crimea region to normalize the
political situation there, the Kremlin said Saturday.
Due to the "extraordinary
situation in Ukraine," Putin said, there are threats to the lives of
Russian citizens and Russian military personnel based in the southern
Crimean region.
It comes on the same day
that the new pro-Russian leader of Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov, asked Putin
for help in maintaining peace in the Black Sea peninsula -- where Russia
has a major naval base at Sevastopol.
International concerns
are mounting that Moscow may intervene militarily in the crisis, despite
warnings from the United States and other Western powers that it should
respect Ukrainian sovereignty.
In response to Putin's
move, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt tweeted: "Russian military
intervention in Ukraine is clearly against international law and
principles of European security."
The newly appointed
interim government in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, is seeking to prevent
tensions in Crimea, which has a majority-Russian population, escalating
into a full-blown bid for separation.
Ukraine suspects Russia of fomenting separatist tensions in the autonomous region.
Amid the uncertainty,
about 300 gunmen wearing Russian Special Forces uniforms attempted to
take over the Sevastopol unit of the Ukrainian Coast Guard, a senior
official with the Ukrainian Border Service said Saturday.
The gunmen were
positioned outside the Ukrainian Coast Guard building, with local
residents standing between the two sides, said Col. Sergii Astakhov,
assistant to the chief of the Ukrainian Border Service.
The residents are reportedly trying to negotiate and asking the gunmen not to attack, Astakhov said.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian
Coast Guard has moved its ships away from the immediate coastline, and
they are being approached by three motorboats and one cruiser from the
Russian Black Sea Fleet, Astakhov said.
'Limited' Russian force
A senior Russian
lawmaker said Saturday that Russia could send a "limited" armed force to
Crimea to ensure the security of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in the
port of Sevastopol and Russian citizens living there.
The speaker of Russia's
upper house of parliament, Valentina Matviyenko, cited the need to
ensure the safety of the Black Sea Fleet and Russian citizens living in
Crimea, according to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.
But she acknowledged that "this decision surely rests with our President, the supreme commander-in-chief."
Aksyonov, who was
installed as the region's premier after armed men took over the Crimean
parliament building Thursday, said security forces "are unable to
efficiently control the situation in the republic," in comments
broadcast on Russian state channel Russia 24.
Consequently, he said,
he was taking charge of security and asking Russia for assistance. His
actions are also a response to Kiev's actions in appointing a new police
chief in Crimea without consulting the parliament, he said.
Aksyonov said Saturday that the date for a referendum on greater Crimean autonomy would be moved up from May 25 to March 30.
A Kremlin spokesman had
said Russia "will not disregard" Aksyonov's request for help "in
maintaining peace and accord in Crimea."
The crisis in Crimea has
echoed round the world, with the U.N. Security Council president
holding a private meeting about the crisis enveloping Ukraine on Friday
and world leaders calling on armed groups not to attempt to challenge
Ukrainian sovereignty.
Yatsenyuk: Russian actions are provocation
Ukrainian Prime Minister
Arseniy Yatsenyuk, speaking at a Cabinet meeting Saturday, said the
government believes the "disproportionate Russian presence in Crimea is
nothing but a provocation."
But, he said, Russia's attempts to provoke the Ukrainian government to respond with force have failed.
"Ukraine will not be
provoked, we will not use force, we demand that the government of the
Russian Federation immediately withdraw its troops and return to their
home bases," he said.
Ukraine's acting
president, Oleksandr Turchynov, insisted Friday that Ukraine would
defend its sovereignty and that "any attempts of intrusion or annexation
will have very serious consequences."
Russia fired back Saturday, amid the claim and counter-claim over the rapidly moving events in Crimea.
Russia's Foreign
Ministry said it was "extremely concerned" by the situation and that in
the early hours, unidentified gunmen "directed from Kiev" had attempted
to take control of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Crimea.
Self-defense groups averted the attempt, it said.
The ministry accused
political figures in Kiev of trying to destabilize the peninsula, which
has historic links to Russia. And it called for restraint, saying "it is
irresponsible to continue whipping the already tense situation in the
Crimea."
Unrest spread Saturday
to the eastern city of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, which
lies close to the border with Russia and has close economic ties there.
Scuffles between
pro-Russian and pro-EU groups broke out, resulting in injuries on both
sides, a local journalist who witnessed the incident told CNN.
Pro-Russian
demonstrators have been holding a demonstration in front of the Kharkiv
regional government building while a pro-EU group is inside, journalist
Daira Yurovskaya said. Pro-Russian protesters also dismantled barricades
around the building, attempting to get inside.
Airspace closed
Ukraine on Friday
accused Russian Black Sea forces of trying to seize two airports in
Crimea but said Ukrainian security forces prevented them from taking
control.
Mysterious groups of
armed men, dressed in uniforms without identifying insignia, patrolled
the airports in the regional capital, Simferopol, and the nearby port
city of Sevastopol, where Russia has a major military base for its Black
Sea fleet.
The armed men remained
at the airports Saturday and Yevgey Plaksin, director of the airport in
the regional capital, Simferopol, said Crimean airspace would remain
closed until the evening local time.
Unidentified,
balaclava-clad armed men also took up position outside the Crimean
parliament building in Simferopol on Saturday, as a small pro-Russian
protest was held, and controlled who could enter. A roadblock was also
reported on the route into the city.
Russia's ambassador to
the United Nations, Vitaliy Churkin, on Friday compared the reports of
Russian troops taking charge of positions on the ground to rumors that
"are always not true."
Masked gunmen occupy Crimea
Ukranian airspace shut down amid crisis
"We are acting within the framework of our agreement," he said.
The Russian Foreign
Ministry said that maneuvers of armored vehicles from the Russian Black
Sea Fleet in Crimea were needed for security and were in line with
bilateral agreements.
At the same time, Russia
has been conducting a huge military exercise near its border with
Ukraine. The snap drills were announced by Moscow on Wednesday.
Obama: Warning to Russia
The United States urged Russia on Friday to pull back from the Crimea region or face possible consequences.
"We are now deeply concerned by reports of military movements taken by the Russian Federation inside Ukraine," U.S.
President Barack Obama said in televised comments from the White House.
"...It would be a clear
violation of Russia's commitment to respect the independence and
sovereignty and borders of Ukraine and of international laws."
Obama said any violation
of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity would be "deeply
destabilizing, and he warned "the United States will stand with the
international community in affirming that there will be costs for any
military intervention in Ukraine."
UK Foreign Secretary
William Hague spoke to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and called
for a de-escalation of the situation in Crimea, Hague said Saturday via
Twitter. Hague also asked that Russia respect Ukraine's sovereignty and
independence.
Ukrainian leaders and
commentators have drawn parallels between what's happening in Crimea and
the situation in Georgia in 2008. Then, cross-border tensions with
Russia exploded into a five-day conflict which saw Russian tanks and
troops pour into the breakaway territories of South Ossetia and
Abkhazia, as well as Georgian cities. Russia and Georgia each blamed the
other for starting the conflict.
Former Georgian
President Mikheil Saakashvili told CNN he had warned in 2008 that
Ukraine would be next. "Putin is following his blueprint all the way
through," he said.
Ukraine, a nation of 45
million people sandwiched between Europe and Russia's western border,
has been plunged into chaos since the ouster a week ago of pro-Russian
President Viktor Yanukovych, following bloody street protests.
Yanukovych resurfaced
Friday in the southwestern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, where he said
he had not been overthrown and vowed to fight on for Ukraine's future.
Financial woes
Besides the dramatic
events unfolding in Crimea, Ukraine's new government also faces the
challenge of getting the country's cash-strapped economy back on track.
A promised $15 billion
loan from Russia, agreed in November by Yanukovych after he dropped the
EU deal, is now on hold. Russia also promised to slash natural gas
prices.
However, Russian energy
giant Gazprom said Saturday that Ukraine is $1.55 billion in arrears on
payments for natural gas deliveries, which may force the firm to cancel
the discount agreed to last year, Russian state-run RIA Novosti news
agency said.
Gazprom spokesman Sergei
Kupriyanov said Russia has issued a $3 billion line of credit to
Ukraine to help it cover its gas debts -- but payments must be
respected.
Ukrainian authorities have said they will need $35 billion in foreign funds by the end of 2015.
CNN's Victoria Eastwood and Diana Magnay
reported from Simferopol, Ukraine, Ingrid Formanek and Victoria Butenko
from Kiev, while Laura Smith-Spark wrote in London. CNN's Alla
Eshchenko, Arkady Irshenko, Radina Gigova and journalist Azad Safarov
contributed to this report.
COPY http://edition.cnn.com
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