REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, WARSAW -- Four former Soviet satellites in central Europe said Tuesday they were "shocked" by Russia's actions in the Ukraine crisis as it brought back memories of Moscow's clampdown on protests in their countries during the Cold War.

"The Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia are shocked to be witness to a military intervention in 21st-century Europe that resembles their own experiences in 1956, 1968 and 1981," the four countries' leaders said in a joint statement.

It was published after President Vladimir Putin said Russia had the right to use "all means" to protect its citizens in Ukraine but denied he had already deployed troops there.

But he also made clear that Moscow had no intention of loosening its new grip on Ukraine's Crimea peninsula.