Russian Troops Pour Into Ukraine

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https://www.wsj.com/articles/germany-halts-nord-stream-2-after-putin-orders-troops-to-ukrainian-breakaway-regions-11645529981

Russian Troops Pour Into Ukraine Breakaway Region; Germany Halts Nord Stream 2
Ukraine’s president considers cutting diplomatic relations with Russia following Moscow’s recognition of statelets
By Yaroslav Trofimov in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thomas Grove in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, and Laurence Norman in Berlin
Updated Feb. 22, 2022 8:17 am ET

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged calm as Russian troops poured into the eastern Donbas region and Western nations announced measures to punish Moscow for recognizing two Russian-controlled statelets there as independent.

Germany said it halted moves to open the Nord Stream 2 pipeline that would allow Russia to bypass Ukraine in exporting natural gas to Europe, and the European Union proposed a ban on purchases of Russian bonds, sanctions on all members of the Russian parliament who voted in favor of supporting recognition of the two breakaway regions, and an asset freeze for three Russian banks with links to the two statelets.

In a statement Tuesday, the European Union’s two top officials said this package of measures could be added to if Russia takes further steps against Ukraine.

The U.K. government announced a first wave of sanctions against five Russian banks and three high-net-worth individuals. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said this was the “first barrage” of sanctions against the country and that more would follow if Russia continued to push into Ukraine.