Yanukovych asked for troops, Moscow’s UN envoy says

Ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych asked Russia to send troops across the border to protect civilians, Moscow's UN envoy has claimed.

4 March 2014, 12:00am

1 min read

Ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych

Russia's envoy to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin has told a Security Council meeting that ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych wrote to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday, requesting Russia's armed forces to enter Ukraine and establish law and order.

Reading a statement on Monday he said was from the fugitive president, Churkin said the request came because "as the legitimately elected representative" Yanukovich believes "Ukraine is on the brink of civil war."
Churkin quoted Yanukovich as saying "the life and security and the rights of people, particularly in the southeast part in Crimea, are being threatened" and that there were "open acts of terror and violence".

In response, Samantha Power, the US ambassador, told the meeting: "One might think that Moscow has just become the rapid response arm of the High Commissioner for Human Rights."

Thousands of Russian troops have been pouring into Ukraine's Crimea region.

Russian forces have also been holding military exercises near Ukraine's borders, but now Putin has ordered them back to base, the Kremlin says.

Ukraine said Russia had set a deadline for its forces in Crimea to surrender by 03:00 GMT. So far there have been no reports of any incidents while Russia has denied issuing any ultimatum.

The Kremlin has argued in favour of the intervention, which has sparked outrage and threats of economic sanctions from the US and EU. Western ambassadors dismissed Russia's arguments as groundless.

US Secretary of State John Kerry is on his way to Kiev to meet Ukraine's new leaders and show support for the country's sovereignty.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's UN envoy Yuriy Sergeyev says Russia has deployed about 16,000 troops to the peninsula.

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...Yanukovych asked for troops...Yanukovych was Democratically elected by the people of Ukraine, but what he was doing was going against the wishes of the Sovereign People of Ukraine who elected him. So the People of Ukraine had the SOVEREIGN RIGHT to remove him, not matter what other says. Yanukovych would have became a Dictator something Russia would easily approved like the Approving of Bashar al Asad of Syria who is murdering his own people because he also thinks like Putin that "MIGHT IS RIGHT'. So Putin wanted to defend the Minority but what about the Majority?? They Sovereign People of Ukraine should be left alone and decide what do they want and no one has the Right to Impose on them. Russia should withdraw from Ukraine Immediately, stop intimidating others, and most of all stick to World Human Rights and UN rules.