Russia granted ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych's plea for protection from what he calls "extremists" after he was booted from office following a week of violent protests in his country's capital city.
Meanwhile Ukraine's Parliament on Thursday voted to form a new government and approved Arseniy Yatsenyuk, who served as the minister of economy from 2005 to 2006, as its new prime minister.
The decision comes as tension swells in Ukraine's Crimea region -- which is largely controlled by pro-Russia and Yanukovych supporters -- where armed gunmen seized government buildings and raised the Russian flag.
Yanukovych, who is reportedly staying in a Kremlin sanatorium outside the city, maintains that he still holds power in Ukraine.
"I still see myself as the legitimate head of the Ukrainian state," Russian media reported him saying. Around 150,000 Russian soldiers carried out military exercises and fighter jets patrolled the border.
Russia's protection of Yanukovych puts even more tension on Ukraine, which is split between allegiance to Russia and the West. The country recently surfaced from three months of protests that started after Yanukovych accepted a Russian bailout over help from the European Union. The demonstrations came to a bloody head last week after nearly 100 people died and a warrant was issued for Yanukovych's arrest as a result.