Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian troops into eastern Ukraine late Monday, all but confirming the White House's long-held fears of invasion. The move comes shortly after the Kremlin recognized the independence of two territories in eastern Ukraine that are controlled by Russian-backed separatists, the Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic.
Moscow described Monday's dramatic escalation as "peacekeeping functions" in its decrees. The targeted regions are home to roughly 800,000 Russians, and Putin last week alleged, without providing evidence, that Ukraine had committed "genocide" in the areas. "It was not immediately certain whether the Russian troops would remain only on the territory controlled by the separatist republics, or whether they would seek to capture the rest of the two Ukrainian regions whose territory they claim," The New York Times reports.
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