Putin gets OK to use troops in Syria
The upper chamber of the Russian parliament has voted unanimously to let President Vladimir Putin send Russian troops to Syria. Sergey Ivanov, the Kremlin's chief of staff, told journalists that Putin was granted permission to use armed forces outside the country by the Federation Council — the upper house of the Russian parliament — the TASS news agency reported. Ivanov said Russia will only use its air force in Syria, where a civil war has been raging since 2011. "The Federation Council unanimously supported the president’s request," Ivanov said, according to TASS. He added that Syrian President Bashar Assad had asked Russia to provide military assistance. Putin has to request a parliamentary approval for any use of Russian troops abroad, according to the constitution. The last time he did so was before Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in March 2014. The Kremlin announced Wednesday that President Vladimir Putin has sent a request to Russia’s upper chamber of parliament asking lawmakers to authorize using the Russian army abroad. The Kremlin’s statement did not specify where Putin was considering sending the troops but said the request was made “in line with recognized principles and norms of the international law.”
