Putin orders troops to Ukraine after recognizing breakaway regions

Authored by reuters.com and submitted by CuriousAbout_This
image for Putin orders troops to Ukraine after recognizing breakaway regions

Summary Companies Ukraine and West on alert for Russia creating pretext to invade

UN Security Council holds emergency meeting

Witness sees unmarked tanks entering Donetsk

Global markets rattled, oil hits 7-year high

MOSCOW, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the deployment of troops to two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine after recognising them as independent on Monday, accelerating a crisis the West fears could unleash a major war.

A Reuters witness saw tanks and other military hardware moving through the separatist-controlled city of Donetsk after Putin formally recognised the breakaway regions and ordered the deployment of Russian forces to "keep the peace".

About five tanks were seen in a column on the edge of Donetsk and two more in another part of town, a Reuters reporter said. No insignia were visible on the vehicles.

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Putin's announcement drew international condemnation and immediate U.S. sanctions to halt U.S. business activity in the breakaway regions and ban import of all goods from those areas.

The measures were separate from sanctions the United States and its allies had prepared if Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said.

A senior U.S. official said the deployment to breakaway enclaves did not yet constitute a "further invasion" that would trigger the harshest sanctions as Russia already had forces there, but that a wider campaign could come at any time.

Britain, France and Germany also agreed to respond to Russia's recognition of the breakaway regions with sanctions, and the White House said it would announce further measures on Tuesday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who received a solidarity call from U.S. President Joe Biden, accused Russia of wrecking peace talks and ruled out territorial concessions.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, told an emergency meeting of the Security Council that Moscow's recognition of the eastern regions was part of its attempt to create a pretext for a further invasion of Ukraine.

"Tomorrow, the United States will impose sanctions on Russia for this clear violation of international law and Ukraine sovereignty and territorial integrity," she told reporters after the Security Council meeting on Monday evening.

"We can, will, and must stand united in our calls for Russia to withdraw its forces, return to the diplomatic table and work toward peace." read more

The Russian U.N. ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, warned Western powers to "think twice" and not worsen the situation.

China called for all parties to exercise restraint while Japan said it was ready to join international sanctions on Moscow in the event of a full-scale invasion.

1/5 Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a ceremony to sign documents, including a decree recognising two Russian-backed breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as independent entities, with leaders of the self-proclaimed republics Leonid Pasechnik and Denis Pushilin seen in the background, in Moscow, Russia, in this picture released February 21, 2022. Sputnik/Alexey Nikolsky/Kremlin via REUTERS Read More

U.S. diplomatic staff, who had been moved from Kyiv to the western city of Lviv, were ordered to spend the night in Poland as the crisis deepened.

Oil jumped to a seven-year high, safe-havens currencies like the yen rallied and global stocks tumbled as Europe's eastern flank stood on the brink of war. read more The rouble extended its losses as Putin spoke, at one point sliding beyond 80 per dollar. read more

In a lengthy televised address packed with grievances against the West, a visibly angry Putin said eastern Ukraine was ancient Russian land. read more .

Russian state television showed Putin, joined by Russia-backed separatist leaders, signing a decree recognising the independence of the two Ukrainian breakaway regions - the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic and the Lugansk People's Republic.

Putin had announced his decision in phone calls to the leaders of Germany and France earlier, the Kremlin said.

In his address, Putin delved into history as far back as the Ottoman empire and as recent as the tensions over NATO's eastward expansion. His demands that Ukraine drop its long-term goal of joining the Atlantic military alliance have been repeatedly rebuffed by Kyiv and NATO states. read more

"I deem it necessary to make a decision that should have been made a long time ago - to immediately recognise the independence and sovereignty of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Lugansk People's Republic," Putin said.

A French presidential official said the speech "mixed various considerations of a rigid and paranoid nature".

The United States says Russia has massed a force numbering 169,000-190,000 troops in the region, including the separatists in the breakaway regions, and has warned of invasion at any moment.

Putin has for years worked to restore Russia's influence over nations that emerged after the collapse of the Soviet Union, with Ukraine holding an important place in his ambitions. Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.

Russia denies any plan to attack its neighbour, but it has threatened unspecified "military-technical" action unless it receives sweeping security guarantees, including a promise that Ukraine will never join NATO.

Recognition of the separatist-held areas will narrow the diplomatic options to avoid war, since it is an explicit rejection of a seven-year-old ceasefire mediated by France and Germany.

Reporting by Reuters bureaux; Writing by Matt Spetalnick and Stephen Coates; Editing by Robert Birsel

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

justin9920 on February 22nd, 2022 at 03:10 UTC »

This entire situation is very interesting and has ramifications for much of the world moving forward. Putin is clearly taking a risk here by choosing to send troops on a “peacekeeping mission” to hold the breakaway regions. I think he’s doing all of this to test Western resolve and more importantly, Joe Biden. It’s also a useful test for China to see how the West responds.

I feel as though the threat to sanctions has fallen short and isn’t going to have the desired effect. It’s hard to take it seriously when so much of the EU is dependant on Russian gas. At this point, what more can they really do. If Putin can effectively take these regions, he can show the US that he can openly disregard international law with minimal consequences.

Right now Biden has only announced sanction on the breakaway regions and not on Russia itself. I suspect this is part of the “minor incursion” strategy where’s he’s hoping Russia doesn’t push any further and no further sanctions will come.

Overall this reflects an increasingly multipolar world and a more reluctant United States. If Russian can take these regions (let’s be honest, it already has) it sets a poor precedent moving forward and weakens the credibility of the US and West on the international stage. It may embolden been actors as well. I do think it is at lest somewhat motivated by Putins poor Covid response and desire to use IR to deflect form domestic failures.

On the other hand, it’s reasonable for Americans to be weary of war considering the trillions of dollars spent over the past 20 years. This is with the benefit of hindsight, but this conflict is of much greater importance than Iraq or Afghanistan ever were.

At the end of the day, time can only tell what this means.

EveryMHz on February 22nd, 2022 at 01:40 UTC »

I am extremely curious as to what the western response to the Russian recognition of the two breakaway republics and military "peacekeeping" operation will be.

Immediately unleashing the full torrent of sanctions would significantly cripple the Russian economy and sap any remaining incentives Moscow has to not invade the rest of Ukraine. After all, if the full punishment is already dealt, why not maximize the aggressive behavior?

Yet, clearly, doing nothing would effectively grant Putin a de facto annexation.

Is a middle ground even possible?

CuriousAbout_This on February 22nd, 2022 at 01:15 UTC »

SS:

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the deployment of troops to two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine after recognising them as independent on Monday, accelerating a crisis the West fears could unleash a major war.

A Reuters witness saw unusually large columns of military hardware moving through the breakaway city of Donetsk after Putin told Russia's defence ministry to send forces into the two regions to "keep the peace" in a decree issued shortly after announcing recognition for Russian-backed separatists there.

Russia has decided to escalate the situation. I'm only wondering if the West has agreed on sanctions in case Russia recognizes Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and sends its troops there officially.