Russian Constitutional Court Approves Crimea Reunification

Russia’s Constitutional Court unanimously ruled Wednesday that a treaty reunifying the Ukrainian breakaway region of Crimea with Russia is lawful. The court, based in Russia’s second-largest city of St. Petersburg, held an emergency session following a formal request by President Vladimir Putin to assess the constitutionality of the historic agreement signed on Tuesday. “The Constitutional Court recognized that this treaty complies with the Russian Constitution," court chairman Valery Zorkin told journalists after the session. The move paves the way for immediate submission of the treaty, as well as draft amendments to the Constitution, for ratification by the Russian parliament.

http://en.ria.ru/russia/20140319/188570695/Russian-Constitutional-Court-Backs-Crimea-Reunification.html