Russian Federation Council approves sending Russian troops abroad

Russian President Vladimir Putin has requested the Federation Council to authorize the use of a Russian Armed Forces’ contingent outside the country based on the generally recognized norms and principles of international law, the Kremlin press service said.

Vladimir Putin signed an executive order to appoint the chief of the Russian presidential administration, Sergey Ivanov, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov and State Secretary, Deputy Defense Minister, Nikolay Pankov, as the president’s authorized representatives during the consideration of the request to the Federation Council.

The Federation Council considers the issue of authorizing the use of the Russian Armed Forces abroad behind closed doors. "The Federation Council unanimously supported the president's request – 162 votes in favor of granting permission," RIA Novosti cited Sergey Ivanov as saying.

According to the Russian Constitution, the Federation Council can consider the possibility of using the Russian Armed Forces outside Russia. The last time the upper house of the Russian parliament used this right was on 1 March 2014. On June 25, the Federation Council withdrew its permission at the request of the president.