But under Putin's rule, Russia has invaded Ukraine before, and it invaded Georgia in 2008. It also intervened in Syria to support the regime of Bashar al-Assad. And in each case, the threat of sanctions failed to dissuade Putin.
- The decline in manufacturing means there are far fewer factories that can be converted to make arms, as happened in the Second World War, when car makers churned out Spitfire parts.
- In 2018, he showed a boastful video simulating a nuclear-armed missile attacking Florida.
- Whether people would be flocking into recruitment offices is open to question.
- Ukraine, say, accepts Russian sovereignty over Crimea and parts of the Donbas.
Unless Putin is doing all of this only to maximise his leverage in talks with the West. And the more aggressive action taken by Russia and the more sanctions put in place in response by the West, the less likely diplomacy is to succeed. On the face of it no one wants this conflict to spread but there is always the law of unintended consequences and mistakes and misunderstandings escalating into an expanded conflict, as has happened in wars in the past. International affairs editor Dominic Waghorn and our team of specialist correspondents answered your questions on the Ukraine crisis in a live digital Q&A. In his eyes, the West promised back in 1990 that Nato would expand "not an inch to the east", yet did so anyway. That was before the collapse of the Soviet Union, however, so the promise made to then Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev referred merely to East Germany in the context of a reunified Germany.
If Russia Invaded Ukraine
Each of NATO's 30 members would be obliged to defend Ukraine if it were attacked. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who took office in 2019, has tried to strengthen his country's ties to the West. He has lobbied aggressively for NATO to expedite Ukraine's request for membership. Some previous Ukrainian governments pursued closer ties with Russia. Russia now appears to be threatening military action as a way to break that stalemate. NATO officials, who represent 30 nations in Europe and North America, have flatly rejected Putin's demands.
- If the Kremlin rapidly moved armored units to the west of the front line, it could cut off and trap much of Ukraine's ground troops without having to occupy major cities, experts said.
- The country attempted to remove its associations with Russia and create a relationship with countries in the West.
- Russia has begun a large-scale military attack on Ukraine, its southern neighbour, on the orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
- Fighting between Russian, pro-Russian and Ukrainian forces is still ongoing in the region.
- Few can predict the future with confidence, but here are some potential outcomes.
- In extremis, a wartime government could inter anyone deemed a threat to public order or the war effort.
Russia has said it will take what it calls "military-technical" measures to protect its security. What that means exactly isn't clear — and Moscow may want it that way. If https://euronewstop.co.uk/how-many-russian-tanks-have-been-destroyed-in-ukraine.html became more dire, the United States or NATO allies might consider intervening with their own forces. Russia could seize much of the east and demand a new political arrangement from Kyiv or simply annex the area, as it did with Crimea, experts said. Moscow could try to gamble that limited action would fracture NATO's unity, as some European governments might be reluctant to impose severe penalties in that case, Hodges said. Without a sharp response, Russia might then press ahead with more operations.
The Invasion of Ukraine: How Russia Attacked and What Happens Next
Latest examples include curtailing gas supplies for political reasons, violating the airspace of a NATO country, threatening Lithuania, and using economic blackmail against Collective Security Treaty Organization member, Kazakhstan. Prior to the talks, Ukraine officials shared that Russia had dropped preconditions to any peace deal. However, Ukraine's foreign minister Dymtro Kuleba added that the Russian president's announcement that nuclear weapons were now on high alert was a move to put pressure on the country during negotiations.
- "How we respond as the pre-war generation will reverberate through history. Ukrainian bravery is buying time, for now."
- Basic food supplies in African and Asian countries that depend on Ukraine, the world’s fifth-largest wheat exporter in 2020, will be hit.
- The Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 saw the return of major war to the European continent.
- Dissent in Russia is highly risky, with jail sentences handed out for anyone spreading "fake news" about the Russian military.
"Markets are fundamentally not prepared for a land war in Europe in the 21st century," Rediker said. Ukrainian economic output and industry will likely be significantly disrupted. The country is a major source of neon, which is used in manufacturing semiconductors. The forthcoming sanctions could include restrictions on major Russian banks that would dramatically affect Russia's ability to conduct international business. Severe U.S. sanctions could drive up prices for everyday Russians or cause Russia's currency or markets to crash. Here's how the invasion will have ripple effects far outside the borders of the conflict.
National Security
Ukraine has bought Turkish TB-2 armed drones, which proved so effective in last year's Armenia-Azerbaijan war. Ukraine could benefit from better command and control, electronic warfare, and reconnaissance capabilities. All this could help it degrade a blitz, although supply or absorptive constraints might be hindrances.
