3 March 2014
Last updated at 20:01 ET
Vitaly Churkin told a Security Council meeting Mr Yanukovych wrote to Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Saturday.
Thousands of Russian troops have been pouring into Ukraine's Crimea region.
Moscow has argued in favour of the intervention, which has sparked outrage and threats of economic sanctions from the US and EU.
Western ambassadors dismissed Russia's arguments.
In another development, the Pentagon said is was putting on
hold all military-to-military engagements between the US and Russia.
These include exercises, bilateral meetings, port visits and planning
conferences.
Crimea and several Russian-dominated cities in eastern Ukraine have been rocked by instability since Mr Yanukovych was ousted last month.
Monday saw pro-Russian protesters attempt to storm government buildings in the eastern city of Donetsk, and the Crimean city of Odessa.
Russian troops and pro-Moscow militias continued an apparent blockade of Ukrainian military bases across Crimea.
Kiev's UN envoy Yuriy Sergeyev says Russia has deployed about 16,000 troops to the peninsula.
And Ukrainian defence sources accused Russia's Black Sea Fleet chief Aleksander Vitko of threatening a full-scale assault if they did not surrender by dawn on Tuesday.
A Russian spokesman was later quoted as denying that any ultimatum had been issued.
But Ukrainian military personnel besieged in their bases are waiting nervously for the 03:00 GMT deadline, many of them preparing for an attack.
At the UN in New York, Mr Churkin offered the Security Council a copy of the letter Mr Yanukovych had sent.
He said the ousted leader had described Ukraine as on the brink of civil war, with civilians being persecuted simply for speaking Russian.
Vitaly Churkin (L) and Samantha Power (R) were both uncompromising in the Security Council meeting
Ukrainian soldiers have a nervous wait as a Russian ultimatum gets closer
He quoted from the letter: "I would call on the president of
Russia, Mr Putin, asking him to use the armed forces of the Russian
Federation to establish legitimacy, peace, law and order, stability and
defending the people of Ukraine."
Western ambassadors refused to accept Russia's justification, continuing to accuse Moscow of violating international law.
"Russian mobilisation is a response to an imaginary threat," said US envoy Samantha Power.
"Military action cannot be justified on the basis of threats that haven't been made and aren't being carried out."
UK ambassador Mark Lyall Grant also rejected Russian allegations of terrorism and threats against ethnic Russians in Ukraine.
"It is clear that these claims have simply been fabricated to justify Russian military action," he said.
He dismissed Mr Yanukovych's letter to President Putin as meaningless.
A number of Western nations have urged Russia to withdraw its troops and accept international observers in Ukraine.
The US and EU have threatened sanctions including possible travel bans and targeted economic measures.
However, a British official was photographed holding policy documents that suggest the UK will not seek to curb trade with Russia or close London's financial centre to Russians.
Ukraine's Yanukovych asked for troops, Russia tells UN
Russia says ousted Ukrainian President Yanukovych asked for military aid
Ousted
Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych asked Russia to send troops
across the border to protect civilians, Moscow's UN envoy has claimed.
Thousands of Russian troops have been pouring into Ukraine's Crimea region.
Moscow has argued in favour of the intervention, which has sparked outrage and threats of economic sanctions from the US and EU.
Western ambassadors dismissed Russia's arguments.
Continue reading the main story
Covering the UN on Monday felt like time-travelling back to
the days of the Cold War, when America and the Soviet Union used the
Security Council not as a forum to resolve problems but as a platform to
voice strong rhetoric.
Lending the angry session an even more nostalgic feel, it also featured a prop - a letter from Ukraine's ousted President Yanukovych, brandished by Russia's Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, requesting Moscow's intervention to protect the country's Russian-speaking people.
US Ambassador Samantha Power said pointedly that Russia was responding to an imaginary threat, and that its military action was not a human rights protection mission, but a violation of international law.
Adding to the chorus of criticism, UK ambassador Sir Mark Lyall Grant added this was the 21st Century, not 1956 or 1968, a reference to the Soviet crackdown in Hungary and what was then Czechoslovakia.
Lending the angry session an even more nostalgic feel, it also featured a prop - a letter from Ukraine's ousted President Yanukovych, brandished by Russia's Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, requesting Moscow's intervention to protect the country's Russian-speaking people.
US Ambassador Samantha Power said pointedly that Russia was responding to an imaginary threat, and that its military action was not a human rights protection mission, but a violation of international law.
Adding to the chorus of criticism, UK ambassador Sir Mark Lyall Grant added this was the 21st Century, not 1956 or 1968, a reference to the Soviet crackdown in Hungary and what was then Czechoslovakia.
Correspondents say fears are growing that the Kremlin might try to seize more land in pro-Russian eastern Ukraine.
Crimea and several Russian-dominated cities in eastern Ukraine have been rocked by instability since Mr Yanukovych was ousted last month.
Monday saw pro-Russian protesters attempt to storm government buildings in the eastern city of Donetsk, and the Crimean city of Odessa.
Russian troops and pro-Moscow militias continued an apparent blockade of Ukrainian military bases across Crimea.
Kiev's UN envoy Yuriy Sergeyev says Russia has deployed about 16,000 troops to the peninsula.
And Ukrainian defence sources accused Russia's Black Sea Fleet chief Aleksander Vitko of threatening a full-scale assault if they did not surrender by dawn on Tuesday.
A Russian spokesman was later quoted as denying that any ultimatum had been issued.
But Ukrainian military personnel besieged in their bases are waiting nervously for the 03:00 GMT deadline, many of them preparing for an attack.
At the UN in New York, Mr Churkin offered the Security Council a copy of the letter Mr Yanukovych had sent.
He said the ousted leader had described Ukraine as on the brink of civil war, with civilians being persecuted simply for speaking Russian.
Vitaly Churkin (L) and Samantha Power (R) were both uncompromising in the Security Council meeting
Ukrainian soldiers have a nervous wait as a Russian ultimatum gets closer
Forget suggestions of sending in
observers and getting Russia out of Crimea. This is now about a
desperate attempt to stop this escalating into a full-scale, violent
invasion of the whole country”
Mr Churkin reiterated Moscow's
view that Mr Yanukovych is Ukraine's legitimate leader, not interim
President Olexander Turchynov.
"Russian mobilisation is a response to an imaginary threat," said US envoy Samantha Power.
"Military action cannot be justified on the basis of threats that haven't been made and aren't being carried out."
One Ukrainian navy officer said his forces were facing intense pressure from Russia to support them
"It is clear that these claims have simply been fabricated to justify Russian military action," he said.
He dismissed Mr Yanukovych's letter to President Putin as meaningless.
A number of Western nations have urged Russia to withdraw its troops and accept international observers in Ukraine.
The US and EU have threatened sanctions including possible travel bans and targeted economic measures.
However, a British official was photographed holding policy documents that suggest the UK will not seek to curb trade with Russia or close London's financial centre to Russians.
Ukraine crisis
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The latest developments from Ukraine, where the army is on full combat alert amid fresh diplomatic efforts to avert further escalation of the crisis.
Latest updates
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How close to war?
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Military balance of power
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Protest timeline
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Crimeans react
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Russia TV rhetoric
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UK 'deeply concerned' about Crimea
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Maidan protester reflects
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Crimea explained
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Crisis in maps
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Airport takeovers
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Key players
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