UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Ukraine’s fugitive president requested Russian soldiers in the strategic Crimea region “to establish legitimacy, peace, law and order,” Russia’s U.N. ambassador said Monday, contradicting the president’s own comments last week, while Ukraine’s ambassador said 16,000 troops are now deployed there.

The disclosure of ousted President Viktor Yanukovych’s support for Russian military intervention was made at the third emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council since Friday. It came amid fears that the Kremlin might carry out more land grabs in pro-Russian eastern Ukraine.