Putin Gets Green Light to Send Troops into Ukraine

President Vladimir Putin on Saturday won approval from Russia's upper house of parliament, the Federation Council, to send Russian troops into Ukrainian territory.

Putin's request was approved unanimously. Speaker Valentina Matviyenko also ordered the Council's foreign affairs committee to ask Putin to recall the Russian ambassador from the United States.

Russian President had submitted a request to the upper house of parliament asking approval for the use of Russian troops in Ukraine, the Kremlin said.

"In connection with the extraordinary situation in Ukraine and the threat to the lives of Russian citizens... I submit to the Federation Council a request to use the armed forces of the Russian Federation on Ukrainian territory until the normalization of the political situation in that country," the Kremlin quoted Putin as saying in the document.

The request was made on the basis of point “G” of the first part of section 102 of the Russian constitution on allowing the use of Russian troops beyond the borders of the country.

Ukraine's boxer turned politician Vitali Klitschko urged parliament to mobilize the army, after Russia's upper house approved the use of troops on Ukrainian territory.

"Parliament must ask the army's commander-in-chief to declare national mobilization after the start of Russian aggression against Ukraine," Klitschko said in a statement. He also asked for the UN Security Council to gather urgently for talks on the crisis.