War Threat Grows

Putin is thought to have moved thousands of troops into rebel-held areas of eastern Ukraine today (dark red area on the map), but there are fears he will try to seize control of the wider regions that separatists lay claim to (lighter shade area) 

Daily Mail: Joe Biden dispatches 'defensive' troops to Baltic States in response to Putin's Ukraine invasion: President, Boris Johnson and EU announce sanctions against Putin crony oligarchs and Russian banks after 10,000 Russian troops entered Ukraine 

* Russian lawmakers today authorised Vladimir Putin to use military force outside of Russia 

* It raises fears he is planning a wider invasion of Ukraine, having rolled troops into breakaway regions 

* Western leaders began sanctioning Putin over the move, with the White House describing it as an 'invasion' after hours of dithering - paving the way for 'severe' economic sanctions announced by Joe Biden 

* Biden also announced he is moving additional US troops, fighter jets and helicopters to Baltic states 

* Germany's Olaf Scholz cancelled approval of Nord Stream 2 gas pipe in a dramatic hardening of his position 

* Boris Johnson sanctioned five banks and three of Putin's cronies, with EU also set to announce penalties 

World leaders hit back against Vladimir Putin for sending Russian troops into Ukraine's breakaway eastern regions after he recognized them as independent with tough economic sanctions and the deployment of additional soldiers to the nearby Baltic states. 

U.S. President Joe Biden announced he was moving additional American troops, fighter jets and helicopters to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania on NATO's eastern flank as a defensive move and imposing heavy financial sanctions against Russian banks and oligarchs. 

Read more ....  

Update #1: Likelihood of war escalates as Putin promises to support proxy Ukraine states (The Guardian)  

Update #2: Russian Forces Are Now Authorized To Use Force In Ukraine (Updated) (Warzone/The Drive)  

WNU Editor: The above Daily Mail post provides a good summary on today's events in and around Ukraine. 

The Warzone/Drive post has video on today's shelling in the Donbass region, including a critical power plant in Ukraine controlled Donbass being deliberately targeted and heavily damaged resulting in the electrical grid being knocked-out. Is this prepping the battlefield for an invasion? The answer is usually a yes.