Russia's upper house of parliament ratifies treaty on absorbing Crimea

Moscow (AFP) - Russia's upper house of parliament on Friday unanimously voted to ratify the treaty incorporating Crimea into Russian territory in defiance of the international community's insistence that the peninsula is part of Ukraine.

All 155 senators present voted at a televised session to approve the treaty which was signed on Tuesday by President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin has said that it considers Crimea part of Russia since the signing of the treaty.