President Vladimir Putin was given the green light from Russia's Upper House of Parliament on Tuesday (22/2) to deploy the military to two separatist-held areas of eastern Ukraine for what he said was a "peacekeeping" mission.
Inflaming the crisis with the West, members of Russia's Upper House of Parliament voted in favor after Putin asked for permission to deploy troops abroad. The move came after Moscow recognized the independence of two regions in eastern Ukraine on Monday (21/2).
The decision took effect immediately, according to member of Parliament Andrei Klishas.
"By approving the use of armed forces abroad, we consider them to be peacekeepers, troops designed to maintain peace and stability in the republic (which is self-proclaimed in Eastern Ukraine)," said Valentina Matvienko, Speaker of the Upper House of the Russian Parliament. quoted by Reuters.
When members of the Russian Parliament met to discuss the planned military deployment, the Kremlin announced that Putin had ratified friendly treaties with the Donetsk People's Republic and the breakaway Lugansk People's Republic in Eastern Ukraine.
Russia says ratification of the treaty allows it to build military bases in the two regions, deploy troops, agree on a common defense posture and tighten economic integration.
A witness told Reuters he saw rows of military vehicles including tanks early Tuesday on the outskirts of Donetsk, the capital of one of two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine.
Reuters reporters saw about five tanks in one column on the outskirts of Donetsk and two in another part of the city.
No badge was seen, but the appearance of the tanks came hours after President Vladimir Putin signed a friendship treaty with the two separatist regions and ordered Russian troops to deploy peacekeeping operations.
Reuters reporters in Donetsk had never seen a tank on the streets in previous days.
