Putin says he will protect Russians in Ukraine
By Kathy Lally and William Booth, WashPost, Updated: Tuesday, March 4, 8:27 AM
MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin offered a vigorous defense Tuesday of Russian intervention in Ukraine, saying the pro-Russian former government in Kiev had been illegally overthrown and that the man he regards as Ukraine’s legitimate president had asked him for military help.
But he also asserted that the troops wearing unmarked uniforms in Crimea are local self-defense groups — not Russian forces, as observers on the scene have said.
Russia has not yet sent in troops but has the legal right to do so if it chooses, Putin said in his first public comments about Ukraine since president Viktor Yanukovych was deposed 10 days ago. He repeatedly described the country as chaotic, claiming that armed thugs are roaming the streets of Kiev, torturing innocent people, and that vigilantes in the countryside are capturing and humiliating public officials. Putin blamed much of the disorder he described on the West, particularly the United States.
“It’s an unconstitutional overthrow and an armed seizure of power,” he told a small group of reporters in a nationally televised meeting at his country residence. “No one has challenged that. Who is saying it’s not true?”
(More here.)
MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin offered a vigorous defense Tuesday of Russian intervention in Ukraine, saying the pro-Russian former government in Kiev had been illegally overthrown and that the man he regards as Ukraine’s legitimate president had asked him for military help.
But he also asserted that the troops wearing unmarked uniforms in Crimea are local self-defense groups — not Russian forces, as observers on the scene have said.
Russia has not yet sent in troops but has the legal right to do so if it chooses, Putin said in his first public comments about Ukraine since president Viktor Yanukovych was deposed 10 days ago. He repeatedly described the country as chaotic, claiming that armed thugs are roaming the streets of Kiev, torturing innocent people, and that vigilantes in the countryside are capturing and humiliating public officials. Putin blamed much of the disorder he described on the West, particularly the United States.
“It’s an unconstitutional overthrow and an armed seizure of power,” he told a small group of reporters in a nationally televised meeting at his country residence. “No one has challenged that. Who is saying it’s not true?”
(More here.)
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