Russia's parliament has approved the use of armed forces in Ukraine's Crimean peninsula. Western leaders expressed concern with the move, which President Vladimir Putin said was to protect ethnic Russians in the region.
Russia's upper house of parliament, the Federation Council, unanimously approved the motion on Saturday after Putin had submitted the proposal.
The chamber announced that the decision would go into effect immediately, and also recommended that Russia's ambassador to the United States be recalled over comments by President Barack Obama.
Putin said the action, which he said he took to protect ethnic Russians and military personnel in the region, was necessary until the political situation in Ukraine stabilized.
