Moscow, March 1 (IANS): Russian legislators have asked President Vladimir Putin to stabilise the situation in the Crimea, an autonomous region that is the new epicentre of the ongoing crisis in the Ukraine.
State Duma or lower house of parliament Speaker Sergei Naryshkin told reporters Saturday the Duma council had petitioned Putin, Xinhua reported.
"Deputies are calling on the president to... use all resources available to protect the Crimean population from lawlessness and violence," he said.
His remarks came hours after reports said Crimean leader Sergey Aksenov sought assistance from Putin to help guarantee peace in the republic.
Naryshkin said the parliament had also adopted a statement, expressing "deep concern about the way the sociopolitical situation is developing in Ukraine and about the escalation of the political crisis".
The statement demanded the situation in Ukraine be brought back to a legal footing.