Russian President Vladimir Putin orders troops into eastern Ukraine  ABC News - video Dailymotion

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00:00Russian troops have begun moving into Ukraine in what Vladimir Putin calls a peacekeeping

00:05operation. His justification is that Moscow now recognises Russian-backed breakaway regions

00:12as independent. The area of eastern Ukraine is made up of Donetsk and Luhansk. It's been

00:19controlled by pro-Russian rebels since 2014 when they seized territory from the Ukrainian army

00:24and proclaimed independence from Kyiv. Moscow has denied being part of that conflict,

00:30although it has supported the rebels. Russia now says security is deteriorating there

00:35and it's sending in troops to maintain peace. The West has condemned Russia's move and has begun

00:42introducing economic sanctions. Tonight we'll have the latest from our reporters in Kyiv,

00:47London and Canberra. We begin our coverage with Europe correspondent Nick Dole in the Ukrainian

00:52capital. The Russian president convened top officials in a carefully staged forum at the

01:00Kremlin. There was no dissenting opinion. I consider it necessary to take a long overdue decision

01:10to immediately recognise the independence and sovereignty of Donetsk People's Republic

01:15and Luhansk People's Republic. Referring to the government in Kyiv as those who took over,

01:21the Russian president demanded Ukraine call off combat operations in Donbass.

01:28Otherwise, the responsibility for continuing the bloodshed will lay on the shoulders of the

01:34Ukrainian regime. In recent days, the fighting in eastern Ukraine has gotten worse. Ukraine says

01:43the rebels have been trying to provoke a reaction to justify an invasion.

01:47The Russian president has ordered so-called peacekeeping forces to enter the region. Moscow says it now

01:56has the right to build military bases on Ukrainian soil after signing new treaties with the separatist

02:02leaders. But the government in Kyiv says it won't give up any territory and it expects support from

02:08the West. We are not afraid of anybody or anything. We owe nothing to no one and we will not give

02:17anything to anyone. The international community was swift with its condemnation of Russia's actions.

02:23The secretary general considers the decision of the Russian Federation to be a violation of the

02:30territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine. This is plainly in breach of international law.

02:37The U.S. has warned Kyiv could come under attack if Russia invades. While many people in the capital

02:43know of bomb shelters or country houses they can escape to, Jewid and his family have no such plans.

02:49The interpreter fled Afghanistan only to get stuck in another potential conflict zone while waiting for

02:55a Canadian visa. They have no local contacts, they don't speak the language and have very little money.

03:01I don't know what to do finally. Meanwhile it's about to start a war in Ukraine too as I follow the

03:08news every day and I'm just worried that what will we do now because I ran from one war and now I'm

03:14involved in another one. A reminder that what happens next in this crisis could affect the future

03:19of millions. Nick Dole, ABC News, Kyiv.

03:24And Nick Dole joins me now from Kyiv. Nick, what's been the reaction there to Russia's announcement?

03:29Are people alarmed?

03:33Hi, Juanita. I think there is a sense of concern here but not panic because many Ukrainians say they predicted

03:39this kind of strategy from Vladimir Putin. They say they've seen this kind of thing before.

03:44If anything, there's a sense of defiance here because President Putin really attacked the very notion

03:48of Ukrainian statehood in his speech, portraying it as weak, feeble, corrupt and in need of Russian

03:55guidance. Well, many people here say they want to put the Soviet past behind them but they don't

04:00think Vladimir Putin can let it go. And in that sense it is unpredictable here because it's so

04:05personal to the Russian president. While it might not seem rational to advance any further into Ukraine

04:10or even to come for the capital, Kyiv, there is a concern that rationality may have gone out the window.

04:16So what's the Ukrainian government's strategy now?

04:21The Ukrainian government says it won't be giving an inch, no territory at all. We've already seen

04:26some more military resources heading to the east of the country. The president here,

04:31Volodymyr Zelenskyy, says now is the time that his country will discover who its real friends are

04:37versus the countries that simply want to scare Russia through words, as he puts it. In other words,

04:42he wants more military support and sanctions that actually bite, Juanita.

04:47Nick Dole reporting there. The Russian president's speech has revealed just how deeply divided Moscow

04:53and the West are, not just on Ukraine but more broadly on security in Europe. Europe correspondent

04:59Steve Kinane joins me now from London. Steve, how will European leaders respond to this crisis?

05:04Well, Juanita, we know that the UK Prime Minister and his ministers are meeting this morning

05:11and they're discussing that issue of sanctions and sanctions against Russia and when to introduce

05:18them. We expect that they will hold back some of the broader, tougher sanctions. They will

05:23do that because they want to have some deterrent up their sleeve to prevent a full-scale invasion.

05:29Now, as far as the EU goes, we've already heard from the EU leaders they're vowing to introduce

05:34sanctions once again to target the decision-makers. In a statement that they released, they said the

05:40union will react with sanctions against those involved in this illegal act. Now, it's harder

05:45to get agreement with the EU, of course. There's 27 countries. Some of those countries are more

05:50reliant on Russian gas for cheap energy than others, but we will find out in the coming hours how tough

05:56and how targeted those sanctions will be. Steve Kinane speaking to us there from London.

06:02The Morrison government says it'll be in lockstep with its allies when they decide to introduce

06:07those sanctions. The Prime Minister has called Russia's threats unacceptable, unprovoked and unwarranted.

06:13Here's political editor Andrew Probin.

06:15Russian troops poised to deliver their president's decree. Vladimir Putin claims their dispatch into

06:24eastern Ukraine is for peacekeeping. The rest of the world sees it otherwise.

06:29An attack on Ukraine is an attack on the sovereignty of every UN member state.

06:36It's unacceptable. It's unprovoked. It's unwarranted.

06:39Australia joining international condemnation of Russia's aggression amid deep concern over what

06:46it might mean for the people of Ukraine. Absolutely violent confrontation with terrible

06:53human consequences. We call upon Russia to back off. Australia and allies are determining whether

07:01President Putin's so-called peacekeeping mission constitutes a military invasion, although Kyiv is in no doubt.

07:09We need strong political condemnation. We need sanctions as soon as possible.

07:15If Russia is hit with sanctions, it will be coordinated. The National Security Committee of Cabinet

07:21is believed to have Australian penalties ready once the US and the UK act.

07:26The moment that other countries put in place strong and severe sanctions,

07:34we will be in lockstep with them. Significant sanctions already exist against Russia,

07:39dating back to the downing of flight MH17 in Ukraine that killed all on board, including 38 Australians.

07:47I'm going to shirt front, Mr Putin. You bet you are. You bet I am.

07:53Tony Abbott's government slapped travel bans on certain individuals and suspended some financial

08:00and trade ties, including a uranium supply agreement reached between President Putin and John Howard 15

08:08years ago. Australians in Ukraine were advised to leave the country weeks ago, and there's talk that

08:14some Ukrainians forced to flee could be offered safe haven in Australia. But the biggest question out

08:20of all of this is whether the United States and the West really have the stomach to stand up to

08:26Vladimir Putin. Because another autocrat in Beijing, who also has territorial ambitions,

08:33is hanging on the answer. Andrew Probin, ABC News, Canberra.

08:50G pulpit aiques statement.

08:54Recently, I'm quite önce here atator land had a business control point of control.

08:56Isn't that funny?

08:58There is a new source of luggage that was visited there within an Court for now.

09:00How did the US give to an officer

09:09and our division command to fail?

09:10I don't know what to do in Oregon.

09:13That was interesting.

09:15A new line is conocermenраue.

Russian President Vladimir Putin orders troops into eastern Ukraine ABC News

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