Acting President of Ukraine and head of Verkhovna Rada Oleksandr Turchynov said that Russia is engaged in numerous provocations designed to expand a military scenario that will result in the complete destabilization of the situation in Ukraine. His statement was posted on the Batkivshchyna website.
Specifically, the statement notes that, at Russia’s request, a telephone conversation took place between Turchynov and the head of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of Russia, Sergey Naryshkin, in which the Russian official announced Russian readiness to implement military aggression against Ukraine in the event force is used “against peaceful citizens of Ukraine who reside in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine.”
Ukraine’s official response states that “We are doing our best to protect all Ukrainian citizens who have now become de facto objects of aggression by the Russian military and provocateurs supported by the Russian side.”
“We did not use, and do not plan to resort to the use of, force against citizens, although today the Russian side is using all means to provoke the use of force in order to bring about the complete destabilization of Ukraine,” Turchynov said.
He stated that any use of weapons and force against citizens would be considered “specially prepared provocations to justify military aggression against Ukraine by the Russian Federation.”
“Ukraine is a peaceful state. However, it is ready to defend its territorial integrity and sovereignty. An appropriate decision on the matter is being developed by the National Security and Defense Council,” he concluded.
As UNIAN reported, early today, March 1, the Russian Parliament unanimously adopted the proposal of Russian President Vladimir Putin to send military troops to Ukraine.
“Having considered the appeal of the President of Russia, and in the interest of the safety and life of our compatriots, the citizens of the Russian Federation, and the personnel of the armed forces of the Russian Federation who are deployed in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea on the territory of Ukraine in accordance with international agreements, and in accordance with Paragraph ‘g’, Part 1, article 102, of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation agrees to grant the President of the Russian Federation permission to use the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine to normalize the socio-political situation in the country,” states the decision of the upper house of the Russian Parliament.
The decree takes effect on the day of adoption.
Source: unian
Translated by Anna Mostovych
Edited by Robin Rohrback
