Putin orders Russian troops into Ukraine's separatist regions as the West levies sanctions

Feelings Drama

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00:00JUDY WOODRUFF

00:05Russia's President Vladimir Putin recognized as independent two separatist regions of Ukraine

00:07today, and hours later ordered Russian troops to conduct what the Kremlin called a peacekeeping

00:12operation in those regions.

00:14After Putin's earlier moves, the U.S., the United Kingdom and the European Union all

00:19announced targeted sanctions.

00:21Nick Schifrin begins our coverage.

00:23NICK SCHIFRIN, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed to redraw the map of Europe.

00:29He recognized the self-declared republics Donetsk and Luhansk that, for nearly eight years,

00:34have been partially controlled by Russian-backed separatists.

00:39In Donetsk tonight, pro-Russian Ukrainians wave Russian flags, after Putin called Ukraine a

00:45colony with a puppet regime and warned of further fights.

00:48DONALD TRUMP, Russian President of the United Kingdom of the United Kingdom of Ukraine,

00:49We demand those who took over and retained the power in Kiev to immediately stop combat

00:54activity.

00:55Otherwise, the responsibility for continuing the bloodshed will lay on the shoulders of

00:59the Ukrainian regime.

01:00NICK SCHIFRIN, Russian President of the United Kingdom, And tonight, there is

01:01worry that bloodshed is already beginning.

01:04Putin ordered a, quote, peacekeeping mission into Donetsk and Luhansk.

01:09President Biden imposed sanctions on anyone doing business in rebel-held areas, and a senior

01:13administration official warned of further penalties if Russia invades.

01:18Inside rebel-held territory, with local camera men filming, authorities have evacuated 30,000,

01:23mostly women and children, and called up men, young and old, to be ready to fight Ukraine.

01:30Russian forces are backing them up.

01:32U.S. officials tell PBS NewsHour at least one-third of Russia's 150,000-plus troops

01:37on the border have already left their staging areas and moved to attack positions.

01:42That's documented by new satellite images of new deployments of armored equipment and

01:46troops moving toward the border, including along two locations close to Kharkiv in Ukraine's

01:51east.

01:52Independent researchers say Russian troops surround Ukraine not only in the east, but

01:56also south and north in Belarus, where exercises that were supposed to end yesterday have been

02:01extended indefinitely.

02:03These troops represent an existential threat to Ukraine, National Security Adviser Jake

02:08Sullivan said on NBC's Today.

02:09Well, we believe that any military operation of the size, scope and magnitude of what we

02:15believe the Russians are planning will be extremely violent.

02:18The U.S. sent a letter to the U.N. that Russia was, quote, creating lists of identified Ukrainians

02:23to be killed or sent to camps following a military occupation.

02:27We also have intelligence to suggest that there will be an even greater form of brutality,

02:33because this will not simply be some conventional war between two armies.

02:37It will be a war waged by Russia on the Ukrainian people.

02:41On Sunday, in the Black Sea port city of Odessa, those Ukrainian people wrapped themselves in the

02:48Ukrainian flag and chanted in Russian, Russians go home.

02:52NewsHour producer Volodymyr Solarhub was on scene.

02:54This predominantly Russian-speaking city back in 2014 still had a strong pro-Russian element.

03:01Now, eight years later, and with Russian aggression looming just around the corner, they say that

03:08the choice of this city is very clear.

03:10It's Ukraine.

03:11ALEKSY HORNANCHENKO IS A MEMBER OF THE UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT FROM ODESSA WHO FAVORS UKRAINIAN UNITY.

03:18IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO SHOW PUTIN THAT ODESSA IS UKRAINE, THAT ODESSA IS THE SOUTH AND CAPITAL OF

03:25UKRAINE, AND NOBODY WAITS FOR HIM HERE.

03:27SO WE NEED MORE SANCTIONS NOW.

03:30WE NEED WEAPONS NOW.

03:31WE NEED GUARANTEES OF SECURITY FOR UKRAINE NOW.

03:34ODESSA RESIDENT ORESLAVA MOVED FROM WESTERN UKRAINE FIVE YEARS AGO.

03:39WOULD YOU SAY THAT IN THOSE FIVE YEARS THAT YOU'VE BEEN LIVING HERE, YOU SEE A CHANGE IN ODESSA?

03:44YEAH, A LOT OF CHANGE AND A LOT OF PEOPLE HERE START TO SPEAK UKRAINIAN LANGUAGE, START TO

03:51BELIEVE IN UKRAINE AND START TO READ UKRAINIAN HISTORY.

03:55AND THEY BELIEVE THAT ODESSA WILL BE UKRAINE FOREVER.

03:59JUDY WOODRUFF And Nick joins me now for more.

04:02So, Nick, a fast-developing story today.

04:05What more do we know about what's happening on the ground?

04:07NICK SCHIFRIN, JR.: Judy, Russian media are reporting that

04:11there are armored columns of Russian forces moving from Russia into Donetsk and Luhansk.

04:17And there are videos on social media that are still unverified of Russian forces moving.

04:23But there is no confirmation right now by the United States that those forces are,

04:29in fact, moving into Donetsk and Luhansk.

04:32But the agreement, as we reported, that Putin signed with the self-declared separate leaders,

04:38does allow for Russian bases in Donetsk and Luhansk. It allows for Russian military infrastructure

04:46in those separatist areas. And it allows for joint protection, quote-unquote,

04:51of the border, which means, Judy, Putin is still maintaining a little ambiguity.

04:55He's laid the groundwork for war, but hasn't actually declared war. He laid the foundations of

05:02former military presence, but hasn't defined it. We still don't know his final move, which,

05:06of course, is his intention to keep us guessing.

05:08JUDY WOODRUFF

05:10And, Nick, I know you have been talking to administration officials.

05:12What is known at this point about what the U.S. is going to do?

05:16NICK SCHIFRIN, U.S.: Yes. So, as I just reported, the executive order that President Biden has just

05:21released bans all persons, all Americans from working or operating in the self-declared republics

05:30of Donetsk and Luhansk, and gives the U.S. the authority to sanction anyone who's working there.

05:35But a senior administration official talking to journalists just now left it ambiguous whether

05:40the movement of Russian forces from Russia into occupied Donetsk and Luhansk would actually trigger

05:47that massive group of sanctions that the U.S. and its allies have been threatening.

05:52The senior administration official said, quote, Russian forces moving into Donbass would not be a

05:57new step. There have been Russian troops in the Donbass for eight years. But the official did say that

06:03there would be further moves tomorrow. They would continue to watch what Russia does.

06:08And those moves tomorrow could include more sanctions as well, Judy.

06:11JUDY WOODRUFF.: All right. Nick Schifrin following this story throughout. Thank you, Nick.

06:15Benjamin Schifrin.

06:24You can see the next couple of troughs of Nuhs at the bottom of the top.

06:25Here, the A-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R.

06:28Go to the top.

06:29You're doing this with little.

06:30After blowing.

06:31Remember her.

06:32So let me see.

06:33I'm going to see.

06:34You're getting to see.

06:35You're getting to see.

06:36And now I'm going to see.

06:37Everybody's doing this right.

06:38You're getting to see.

06:39dest sand and you're getting to see.

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