After months of military buildup and acumen, US President Joe Biden on Tuesday described Russian movements in Ukraine as “the beginning of a Russian invasion.”
Here’s what you need to know:
What did Russia do? On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into Donetsk and Luhansk — two separatist-controlled pro-Moscow regions of eastern Ukraine — in what the Kremlin called a “peacekeeping mission.” The move came just hours after he signed decrees recognizing the regions’ independence.
Multiple US and Western officials warned that this could serve as the opening salvo of a larger military operation targeting Ukraine. More than 150,000 Russian troops are now encircling Ukraine on three sides, according to estimates by US and Ukrainian intelligence agencies.
How is Ukraine responding? On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is still pursuing diplomacy as a way out of the crisis. Reservists would be called up for military training, he said, but there will be no general mobilization of forces.
“We long for peace and tranquility, but if we are quiet today, we will disappear tomorrow,” Zelensky said.
How has the world reacted? Russia’s actions have been strongly condemned by many countries, with Western leaders on Tuesday imposing new sanctions and cutting off a key pipeline to Russia.
Biden announced that the United States will impose sanctions on Russia’s financial institutions and oligarchs. The European Union also imposed sanctions on 351 Russian lawmakers who voted to recognize the breakaway regions, and the United Kingdom announced sanctions against five Russian banks and three Russian oligarchs.
Also on Tuesday, Germany said it had stopped certifying an $11 billion 750-mile pipeline connecting Russia directly to Germany. The Nord Stream 2 project was completed in September but has not yet received the final green light from German regulators. Without it, natural gas cannot flow through the Baltic Sea pipeline from Russia to Germany.
Japan and Australia were added to the list of countries imposing sanctions on Russia, Donetsk and Luhansk on Wednesday.
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