- Russia has finally attacked Ukraine after months of concerns over a military build-up on the border.<\/li>
- Multiple explosions have been heard in several cities in Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv, overnight.<\/li>
- The big question for the West now is whether Russia and President Vladimir Putin be stopped, and how the U.S and Europe can do that.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
![\"BERLIN,](\"https:\/\/image.cnbcfm.com\/api\/v1\/image\/107019854-1645691724654-gettyimages-615648550-93008213.jpeg?v=1645691762&w=929&h=523\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nRussian President Vladimir Putin.Adam Berry | Getty Images News | Getty Images<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After months of posturing, Russia has finally invaded Ukraine. The big question for the West now is: Can Russia and President Vladimir Putin be stopped?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Putin announced an attack on Ukraine early Thursday local time, declaring the beginning of a \u201cspecial military operation\u201d aimed at what it called the \u201cdemilitarization and denazification\u201d of Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a televised address, Putin said Russia did not plan to occupy Ukraine but wanted to protect its citizens. He also issued a chilling warning that any countries that tried to interfere with Russia\u2019s actions would face \u201cconsequences they have never seen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Russian attacks then began on cities across the country, with explosions reported in several key cities including Kyiv, Odessa, Kharkiv and Mariupol. The explosions are ongoing, according to reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Map](\"https:\/\/image.cnbcfm.com\/api\/v1\/image\/107019779-1645677128644-eztv_701_wnbc_on_aux-701_2022-02-23_23h30m34s.png?v=1645677179&w=929&h=523\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nCNBC<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Kremlin issued more statements on Thursday morning, saying Putin would decide how long the military operation would last \u201cbased on its progress and aims.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Putin\u2019s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, also told reporters that Ukraine needs to \u201cideally\u201d be \u201cliberated\u201d but that \u201cnobody is talking about the occupation of Ukraine\u201d and that word is \u201cunacceptable,\u201d he said, according to Reuters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The developments are a shocking escalation after months of simmering tensions and concerns over Russia\u2019s intentions towards its neighbor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thursday\u2019s attack comes days after Putin recognized two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as independent and ordered Russian troops into the region on a \u201cpeacekeeping\u201d mission, a claim rubbished by many.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Experts and officials thought this could be a precursor to a wider invasion of the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine, but Thursday\u2019s assault is bigger, and has come quicker, than many feared.WATCH NOWVIDEO01:31Putin orders Russian forces to attack Ukraine, explosions rock major cities<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Experts believe that Moscow\u2019s likely objective to this military action is to force a change in Ukraine\u2019s political leadership and to install a pro-Russia regime in Kyiv.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBased on Putin\u2019s speech and the initial waves of strikes, it is clear that we are in the \u2018severe\u2019 scenario, in which Russia launches major attacks across Ukraine and aims to overthrow the Kyiv government through military means,\u201d Henry Rome, director of global macro research at Eurasia Group, said in a note Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDespite Putin\u2019s claim to the contrary, it is probable that this will include occupation of some territory by Russian forces.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The attack is shaking global financial markets, causing U.S. stock futures <\/a>to tumble and global oil prices<\/a> to spike. European markets<\/a> are set to plunge at the open on Thursday as a military conflict has broken out yet again on its soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>Are sanctions enough?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
U.S. and European officials had tried to deter Russia from launching an attack by promising a barrage of further sanctions. Earlier this week they imposed a set of punitive measures on Russian individuals, financial institutions and sovereign debt following Russia\u2019s recognition of the separatist areas in eastern Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
U.S. President Joe Biden promised more measures to hit Russia\u2019s economy after the invasion started. The EU, which borders Ukraine to the west, will hold an emergency meeting Thursday to discuss its response. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called Russia\u2019s actions a \u201cdark day for Europe,\u201d saying Moscow should cease military action immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whether sanctions are enough to deter Putin is uncertain, given that a raft of measures imposed on Russia following its 2014 annexation of Crimea have failed to discourage the president.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Timothy Ash, senior emerging markets sovereign strategist at Bluebay Asset Management, noted on Thursday that \u201cPutin is putting a new Iron Curtain across Emerging Europe. We are all less safe because of this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe West needs to sanction the hell out of Russia for this,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For its part, Ukraine is calling for urgent and immediate help, with the country\u2019s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeting a \u201cto do\u201d list for the West, calling for more weapons and financial and humanitarian assistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a separate tweet, Kuleba pleaded for the world to prevent Putin from causing further damage to Ukraine, saying: \u201cThe world can and must stop Putin. The time to act is now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Western nations, such as the U.S. and U.K., have already supported Ukraine with some financial aid and military hardware. While other European countries have offered military hardware to reinforce NATO\u2019s deployments in eastern Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ukraine is not a member of the EU or NATO \u2014 the military alliance formed of North American and European nations \u2014 and so NATO is not bound to defend it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As such, there are question marks over how far the West will go to stop Ukraine from being fully suppressed by Russia, and it is unclear whether the U.S. and EU are willing to respond with military means.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eurasia Group\u2019s Rome expects a far-reaching package of sanctions designed to isolate Russia from the global financial system and severely damage its economy to be announced in the near future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat will include the U.S. adding many, if not all, of Russia\u2019s largest banks to the Specially Designated Nationals list, imposing new export restrictions on advanced technology, and broadening the scope of sanctions against oligarchs and family of the political elite,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe EU and UK will impose similar measures. Given the severity of the Russian actions, we expect Western policymakers to go beyond their worst-case scenario plans, which puts Russia\u2019s expulsion from the SWIFT financial messaging system in play. The Nord Stream 2 pipeline will be sidelined indefinitely.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Germany already announced earlier this week that it was halting its approval process for the massive gas pipeline<\/a>, which was designed to double Russia\u2019s gas imports to Germany and the rest of Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>A new Cold War?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The pressure is now on the West to counter Russia\u2019s increasingly aggressive stance, particularly toward its neighbors and former Soviet states like Ukraine, Georgia and Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What makes Ukraine particularly significant is its position on the righthand flank of Europe \u2014 the home of some of the world\u2019s largest and longest-standing democracies and economies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Russia\u2019s president has long extolled the \u201cunity\u201d of Ukrainians and Russians, giving speeches and even writing an essay on the historical, cultural and linguistic ties between the nations. On Monday, he stated that Ukraine was created out of Russian lands and reiterated that the breakup of the USSR, which led to Ukraine becoming an independent country, was a mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ukraine\u2019s government, however, has sought to to align itself with Europe, aspiring to membership of both the EU and NATO.WATCH NOWVIDEO04:45Russian ambassador to UN tries to justify invasion, blames crisis on \u2018Ukraine itself\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This pivot to the West is a big bone of contention for Putin, who is eager to maintain Russia\u2019s sphere of influence. Russia has sought legal assurances that Ukraine would never be able to join NATO, which would bring the military alliance\u2019s border to Russian territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This demand has been refused by the West, leading Russia to claim its security concerns have been ignored.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rome, from Eurasia Group, said the latest attack by Russia and the West\u2019s sanctions will have \u201cfar-reaching impacts on the global economy\u201d and that the \u201cRussian invasion will mark the beginning of a new US-Russia cold war, creating a rupture between Washington and Moscow that will make anything but the most basic diplomacy extremely unlikely.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt will also mark the return of a major militarized border in Europe, raising tensions between Russia and NATO countries from the Baltic states to countries on the Black Sea. The U.S. and NATO will face risk of the conflict spilling over into Poland, Hungary, or Romania … which would risk drawing alliance members into conflict. Lastly, huge refugee flows loom on the horizon,\u201d he warned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For now, it\u2019s unclear whether Russia has the military manpower to occupy Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhile Russia\u2019s military buildup is significant, the number of Russian troops is still insufficient to occupy and hold large parts of the Ukrainian territory, especially considering expectedly strong local resistance,\u201d Andrius Tursa, central and eastern Europe advisor at Teneo Intelligence, said in a note Wednesday evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said Moscow\u2019s likely objective was the force Ukraine to concede to Russia\u2019s demands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEarlier this week, Putin has outlined a new set of demands for Kyiv, which include (1) the recognition of Crimea and Sevastopol as Russian territory; (2) renouncement of plans to join NATO; (3) demilitarization of the country; (4) negotiation of the situation in Donbas,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To advance its goals, Russia could use a variety of actions, \u201cincluding military action aimed at degrading the country\u2019s defensive capabilities, inflicting significant casualties, and damaging critical infrastructure in the hope for a swift capitulation by the Ukrainian side.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In short, Tursa said, Moscow could try to use a variety of tactics to destabilize and demoralize Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis could include large-scale terrorist acts, political assassinations, cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure, and other actions aimed at sowing chaos and undermining the country\u2019s ability as well as willingness to defend [itself].\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
source: cnbc.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Now that Russia has invaded Ukraine, the West has to try to stop Putin \u2014 but how? PUBLISHED THU, FEB 24 20223:05 AM ESTUPDATED 4 MIN AGOHolly Ellyatt@HOLLYELLYATTWATCH LIVEKEY POINTS Russia has finally attacked Ukraine after months of concerns over a military build-up on the border. Multiple explosions have been heard in several cities in … Read moreWe Clicked So You Don’t Have To<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"pmpro_default_level":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3589","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","pmpro-has-access"],"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/smashomash.com\/smashteam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3589","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/smashomash.com\/smashteam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/smashomash.com\/smashteam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smashomash.com\/smashteam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smashomash.com\/smashteam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3589"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/smashomash.com\/smashteam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3589\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/smashomash.com\/smashteam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3589"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smashomash.com\/smashteam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3589"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smashomash.com\/smashteam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3589"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}