Russia has initiated a 'huge escalation' in the Ukraine crisis. What might Vladimir Putin do next?
ABCGlobal efforts to head off a Russian invasion of Ukraine have been dealt a serious blow. Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed decrees recognising the independence of two separatist regions in eastern Ukraine and ordered his military to "maintain peace" in the disputed areas. While the exact nature of the "peacekeeping" force Mr Putin plans to deploy remains unclear, the decree said Moscow could now build military bases in Donetsk and Luhansk. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Mr Putin of wrecking peace talks but said Ukraine was "not afraid of anyone or anything". Sergei, a resident of Kyiv who did not provide his surname, said the peace Russia "will offer to Donetsk and Luhansk won't be the same as Ukraine could offer".