Unidentified armed man in military uniform stands near the building of Crimea autonomy parliament in Simferopol, Ukraine, 01 March 2014. The armed men, described by Interior Minister Arsen Avakov as Russian naval forces, took control at 28 February, of the airports in Simferopol and near the port of Sevastapol where the Russian Black Sea Fleet has a base: photo - EPA/MAXIM SHIPENKOV
Russian President Vladimir Putin asked the upper house of parliament to approve sending armed forces, not to Crimea, but to "the territory of Ukraine", as the crisis in esculated on Saturday.
"In connection with the extraordinary situation in Ukraine, the threat to the lives of citizens of the Russian Federation, our compatriots, and the personnel of the armed forces of the Russian Federation on Ukrainian territory [in Crimea...] I submit a proposal on using the armed forces of the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine until the normalisation of the socio-political situation in that country," President Putin said.
The upper house of the Russian parliament agreed to the request late Saturday afternoon.
Crimea is where Russia's Black Sea fleet is stationed.
Ukraine's defence ministry says that 6,000 troops have been sent to the Russian ethnically dominated region, where what the Ukrainian government claims Russian armed forces are already occupying the main civilian airport in Crimea.
Poland's foreign ministry said that any use of force by all sides could have dire consequences in the region and beyond, with war appearing to loom larger on Saturday.
"Any decisions that will be taken in the coming days, including of a military nature, could have irreparable consequences for the international order," a statement by foreign ministry spokesman Marcin Wojciechowski says.
"We call for stopping provocative movements of troops on the Crimean Peninsula," the statement adds.
Poland’s foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski is shortening his visit to Iran, where he arrived on Friday, due to the developments in Crimea.
France, Britain and Germany issued calls for de-escalation in Crimea hours after US President Barack Obama warned that military intervention in the region would be deeply destabilising and "carry costs".
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk accused Russia on Saturday of sending thousands of troops to the area.
Crimea's pro-Russia prime minister has put himself in charge of all military forces, police and other security services in the region.
He has also appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin for assistance in "guaranteeing peace and calm" there. (pg)
last updated 16.59 CET