Churkin: We introduced troops at the request of Yanukovych

The overthrown President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych asked the Russian President Vladimir Putin to use the army in Ukraine. This statement was made by the Russian Feces at the UN Vitaly Churkin at an emergency meeting of the Security Council on Tuesday night. Churkin read out a letter to Yanukovych, whom Moscow considers the president, and demonstrated a copy of the document to the diplomats. The letter dates from March 1.

“As a legally elected president of Ukraine, I declare: the events on the Maidan, the illegal seizure of power in Kyiv led to the fact that Ukraine was on the verge of a civil war,” Yanukovych said. “The country has chaos and anarchy. Life and safety of people, especially in the southeast and in Crimea, under the influence of Western countries, are being persecuted and violence is being persecuted. People are persecuted. According to the political and linguistic features, in this regard, I appeal to Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin with a request to use the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation to restore the rule of law, peace, law and order, stability, and protect the population of Ukraine. ”

At the same time, Churkin noted, Russia does not set the task of the return of Yanukovych to power in Ukraine. "We do not understand that, that Yanukovych will not return to the authorities and will not govern the state?" he said. The Russian Permanent Representative also said that the fate of Yanukovych "must decide the people of Ukraine."

Meanwhile, according to Churkin, Putin has not yet decided to use Russian troops in Ukraine. “The President’s decision, which the Mandate of the Federation Council gave him, has not yet been accepted about the use of the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine,” said the Permanent Representative. “And the fact that we convened this meeting does not mean that it is about to be accepted.”

The representative of Ukraine Yuri Sergeyev and the Permanent Representative of a number of other countries objected that in fact, Russia introduced additional military contingents into the country. He estimated the total number of Russian soldiers in Crimea at 16 thousand people. Churkin rejected these accusations. The number of Russian soldiers in Ukraine does not exceed the maximum established by the agreement on the basing of the Black Sea Fleet, he noted.

“According to the agreement that we have about the Black Sea Fleet,” there may be 25 thousand, ”Churkin said.“ They act now as they consider it necessary in order to protect their objects and impede extremist manifestations that could lead to damage to the life and health of civilians. ” The Permanent Representative added: "Maybe our Ukrainian colleagues consider these actions excessive, but they are at least completely consistent with the representation of the authorities of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea."

Churkin also stated that the danger of provocations against the Black Sea Fleet remains in Crimea. For its part, the US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power said that she did not see a threat to the Russian and Russian -speaking population in Crimea.

“It seems that Ms. Power draws all the information from American television,” the Russian Permanent Representative objected to this. “Of course, if you draw information from American television, everything was fine: there was a wave of democracy, and then the bad Yanukovych fled, and the democrats came to power without any violence.” In fact, according to Churkin, a wave of violence "swept through the west and center of Ukraine", which is well known to American diplomats.

The British Ambassador to the UN Lyell Grant called the statements of the Russian colleague far -fetched. "It is clear that these statements are designed to justify the Russian military operation," said the diplomat. Yanukovych’s letter, Grant added, pointless. “We are talking about the former leader who left his office, the capital and the country; about the leader whose corrupt board led the country to the line of economic collapse; about the leader who suppressed protests against his government, which led to more than 80 victims,” the British representative emphasized.

The French Permanent Representative of Gerard Aro, for his part, compared the Russian intervention on Ukraine with the invasion of the Warsaw Treaty in Czechoslovakia in 1968. “We hear the voice of the past,” said Aro.

The Chinese representative of Liu Jea abstained sharp statements. Nevertheless, without resorting to reproaches at Moscow, he emphasized that the principle of non -interference in the internal affairs of other states should be observed.