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 the Kremlin. There was no dissenting opinion.

01:03I consider it necessary to take a long overdue decision to immediately recognise the independence

01:09and sovereignty of Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic. Referring to the

01:16government in Kyiv as those who took over, the Russian president demanded Ukraine call off

01:21combat operations in Donbass. Otherwise, the responsibility for continuing the bloodshed

01:29will lay on the shoulders of the Ukrainian regime.

01:35In recent days, the fighting in eastern Ukraine has gotten worse. Ukraine says the rebels have

01:41been trying to provoke a reaction to justify an invasion.

01:44The Russian president has ordered so-called peacekeeping forces to enter the region. Moscow says it now has

01:53the right to build military bases on Ukrainian soil after signing new treaties with the separatist

01:59leaders. But the government in Kyiv says it won't give up any territory and it expects support from the

02:05rest. We are not afraid of anybody or anything. We owe nothing to no one and we will not give

02:14anything to anyone. The international community was swift with its condemnation of Russia's actions.

02:20The secretary general considers the decision of the Russian Federation to be a violation of the

02:27territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine. This is plainly in breach of international law.

02:34The US has warned Kyiv could come under attack if Russia invades. While many people in the capital

02:40know of bomb shelters or country houses they can escape to, Jewid and his family have no such plans.

02:46The interpreter fled Afghanistan only to get stuck in another potential conflict zone while waiting for

02:52a Canadian visa. They have no local contacts, they don't speak the language and have very little money.

02:58I don't know what to do finally. Meanwhile it's about to start a war in Ukraine too as I follow the

03:05news every day and I'm just worried that what will we do now. Because I ran from one war and now I'm

03:11involved in another one. A reminder that what happens next in this crisis could affect the future of

03:17millions. Nick Dole, ABC News, Kyiv. And Nick Dole joins me now from Kyiv. Nick,

03:23what's been the reaction there to Russia's announcement? Are people alarmed?

03:30Hi Juanita, I think there is a sense of concern here but not panic because many Ukrainians say they

03:36predicted this kind of strategy from Vladimir Putin. They say they've seen this kind of thing before.

03:40If anything there's a sense of defiance here because President Putin really attacked the very

03:45notion of Ukrainian statehood in his speech, portraying it as weak, feeble, corrupt and in

03:51need of Russian guidance. Well many people here say they want to put the Soviet past behind them but

03:57they don't think Vladimir Putin can let it go. And in that sense it is unpredictable here because it's

04:02so personal to the Russian President. While it might not seem rational to advance any further into

04:07Ukraine or even come for the capital Kyiv, there is a concern that rationality may have gone out the window.

04:13So what's the Ukrainian government's strategy now?

04:18The Ukrainian government says it won't be giving an inch no territory at all. We've already seen

04:24some more military resources heading to the east of the country. The President here, Volodymyr Zelensky,

04:29says now is the time that his country will discover who its real friends are versus the countries that

04:35simply want to scare Russia through words, as he puts it. In other words, he wants more military support

04:41and sanctions that actually bite, Juanita. Nick Dole reporting there.

04:46The Russian President's speech has revealed just how deeply divided Moscow and the West are,

04:51not just on Ukraine but more broadly on security in Europe. Europe correspondent Steve Kinane joins

04:57me now from London. Steve, how will European leaders respond to this crisis?

05:01Well, Juanita, we know that the UK Prime Minister and his ministers are meeting this morning and

05:08they're discussing that issue of sanctions and sanctions against Russia and when to introduce

05:15them. We expect that they will hold back some of the broader, tougher sanctions. They will do that

05:21because they want to have some deterrent up their sleeve to prevent a full-scale invasion. Now, as far as

05:27the EU goes, we've already heard from the EU leaders they're vowing to introduce sanctions,

05:32once again to target the decision makers. In a statement that they released, they said the union

05:38will react with sanctions against those involved in this illegal act. Now, it's harder to get agreement

05:43with the EU, of course. There's 27 countries. Some of those countries are more reliant on Russian gas for

05:49cheap energy than others, but we will find out in the coming hours how tough and how targeted those sanctions

05:55will be. Steve Kinane speaking to us there from London. The Morrison government says it will be

06:01in lockstep with its allies when they decide to introduce those sanctions. The Prime Minister has

06:06called Russia's threats unacceptable, unprovoked and unwarranted. Here's political editor Andrew Probin.

06:14Russian troops poised to deliver their president's decree. Vladimir Putin claims their dispatch into

06:21eastern Ukraine is for peacekeeping. The rest of the world sees it otherwise. An attack on Ukraine is an

06:29attack on the sovereignty of every UN member state. It's unacceptable, it's unprovoked, it's unwarranted.

06:37Australia joining international condemnation of Russia's aggression amid deep concern over what it

06:43might mean for the people of Ukraine. Absolutely violent confrontation with terrible human consequences.

06:51We call upon Russia to back off. Australia and allies are determining whether President Putin's

06:59so-called peacekeeping mission constitutes a military invasion, although Kyiv is in no doubt.

07:06We need strong political condemnation. We need sanctions as soon as possible.

07:12If Russia is hit with sanctions, it will be coordinated. The National Security Committee of

07:18Cabinet is believed to have Australian penalties ready, once the US and the UK act.

07:23The moment that other countries put in place strong and severe sanctions, we will be in lockstep with them.

07:32Significant sanctions already exist against Russia, dating back to the downing of flight MH17 in Ukraine,

07:40that killed all on board, including 38 Australians.

07:44I'm going to shirt front, Mr Putin. You bet you are. You bet I am.

07:50Tony Abbott's government slapped travel bans on certain individuals and suspended some financial and

07:57trade ties, including a uranium supply agreement reached between President Putin and John Howard 15 years ago.

08:06Australians in Ukraine were advised to leave the country weeks ago.

08:10And there's talk that some Ukrainians forced to flee could be offered safe haven in Australia.

08:15But the biggest question out of all of this is whether the United States and the West really

08:20have the stomach to stand up to Vladimir Putin. Because another autocrat in Beijing, who also has

08:28territorial ambitions, is hanging on the answer. Andrew Probin, ABC News, Canberra.

Russian President Vladimir Putin orders troops into eastern Ukraine ABC News

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