New Delhi: Lawmakers in Russia Tuesday gave President Vladimir Putin permission to use military force outside the country.
A total of 153 senators voted unanimously in the Russian parliament’s upper house. Earlier in the day, Putin had asked the parliament to approve the army’s use outside the country to back separatists in Ukraine.
The move comes a day after the Russian president decided to recognise eastern Ukraine’s breakaway regions – Donetsk and Luhansk – as independent entities.
Tensions rose between the US and Russia soon after Putin ordered the Russian armed forces to move into Ukraine’s breakaway regions.
The White House Tuesday announced that US President Joe Biden will address the nation on the Ukraine crisis at 11:30 PM IST Wednesday.
The Indian embassy in Ukraine, meanwhile, has asked Indian nationals to leave the eastern European nation temporarily if their stay is not essential. Additional flights out of Ukraine are also being organised.
“In view of the continued high level of tensions and uncertainties of the current situation in Ukraine, additional flights are being organised,” the Indian embassy said in an advisory Sunday.
According to an official document in 2020, Ukraine had a small but vibrant Indian community and there were about 18,000 Indian students studying there.
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