Russia tightens its bear grip over Crimea

New York: Russia has shown no signs of backing down with 16,000 military personnel in Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula, defying world leaders threatened sanctions and rebuke.

Moscow has justified its military moves in Crimea as necessary to protect its country’s citizens living there. Russia’s UN Ambassador claimed Ukraine’s ousted president asked Moscow for military help, to re-establish law and order in his country. Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told an emergency UN Security Council meeting Monday that Viktor Yanukovych (deposed president) wrote to Vladimir Putin on Saturday.

The Russian Ambassador read the document stating, “Under the influence of Western countries there are open acts of terror and violence. People are being persecuted for language and political reasons”. Yanukovych then asked Putin to use the armed forces of the Russian Federation to establish legitimacy, peace, law and order, stability and defend the people of Ukraine.
 
The US Ambassador Samantha Power dismissed the appeal from Ukraine’s ousted president for Russian military intervention, Power said that under the Ukrainian constitution, only the parliament can approve the presence of foreign troops. British envoy Mark Lyall Grant said there is no justification for Russia’s military action either in international law or in its agreement with Ukraine.