Unrest in Ukraine

MOSCOW -- Russian legislators have asked President Vladimir Putin to stabilize the situation in Crimea, an autonomous region that is the new epicenter of the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.

State Duma (lower house of parliament) speaker Sergei Naryshkin told reporters Saturday the Duma council had petitioned Putin. "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 local 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 on a legal footing.

"As a result of the radical forces' actions, all Ukrainian government branches have been deprived of the opportunity to make legitimate decisions," it said.

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