Kremlin spokesman says Putin can deploy peacekeepers to Nagorno-Karabakh without permission from the Senate

Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn’t need to seek permission from the Federation Council to send a military peacekeeping mission to Nagorno-Karabakh, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in conversation with journalists on Wednesday, November 11.

“There’s no direct need for this because on September 30, 2015, there was the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of Russia’s resolution Number 355-SF, which gives consent to the President of Russia for the use of the armed forces outside of Russia on the basis of generally recognized principles and norms of international law. As long as this decree is in effect — and it is in effect, it hasn’t changed in any way — then there is a legal basis for making such decisions on the basis of generally recognized principles and norms of international law,” Peskov explained.

• On the night of November 10, the heads of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia announced the signing of an agreement on ending hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh and the introduction of Russian peacekeepers to the conflict zone.
• On March 1, 2014, the Federation Council gave Vladimir Putin permission to send Russian troops into Ukraine. Allegedly, this was to ensure that the referendum on Crimea joining Russia was conducted safely. A year later, the Federation Council again gave the president permission to use Russian troops outside of Russia. This time, however, the senators didn’t specify which country or region the decision concerned.