Russia-Ukraine crisis: 'Don't interfere,' Vladimir Putin warns world

Russian military vehicles breached the Kyiv region from Belarus to the north, Ukrainian officials said, after tanks reportedly rolled earlier into Ukraine from Crimea. A senior Russian lawmaker said Russia aims to ensure a pro-Moscow government in Kyiv, pushing out US influence. President Vladimir Putin has summoned tycoons to the Kremlin.

The government in Kyiv called Russia’s actions a “full-scale invasion” as it declared martial law and called for international support including harsher sanctions. Moscow said it had taken out military facilities, including airbases, Interfax reported.

Putin’s military moves upended markets, with the ruble and Russian stocks sinking while oil and gold soared. European gas prices surged as the attacks put fuel supplies in Europe – already in the midst of an energy crunch – at further risk.

Russia was condemned by Western leaders including U.S. President Joe Biden, who said more sanctions would follow. The European Union will hold an emergency summit in Brussels on Thursday and the UK said it intended further economic penalties on Moscow. China called for restraint but didn’t rebuke Moscow.

Demonstrators hug at an anti-war rally at Brandenburg Gate in Berlin

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on key questions about the Russia’s operation in Ukraine. He refused to elaborate on how long it will last, whether Russian troops will move into the entire country, and whether Moscow aims to install a new government.

On his daily news call, Peskov said only that Russia’s aims are to “liberate Ukraine and neutralize its military potential.”

Asked about potential international isolation resulting from the move, Peskov said it was “impossible to close off a country like Russia with an Iron Curtain.” The current “emotional” reaction on financial markets will stabilize soon, he said.

Nato to discuss reaction

Nato leaders will hold a virtual summit on Friday to discuss the alliance’s reaction to the invasion, an official said. The alliance said it continues to deploy additional land and air forces to member countries near Ukraine, along with more naval assets, to bolster defense and deterrence.

People wait at the Ukranian side of the border crossing between Poland and Ukraine

“We have increased the readiness of our forces to respond to all contingencies,” the alliance said in a statement. The Baltic nations and Poland had asked NATO for additional support in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Putin summons Russian tycoons

With asset prices swooning, President Vladimir Putin has called major shareholders and the leaders of Russia’s biggest companies to the Kremlin to discuss the situation in Ukraine, people familiar with the situation said, asking not to be identified because the information isn’t public.

The meeting may happen around 4 p.m. in Moscow, they said. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Russian opposition and Western politicians have urged extending sanctions to more of Russia’s richest people, many of whom are seen as facilitating Putin’s regime.

Ukraine breaks diplomatic ties with Russia

Ukraine has cut diplomatic ties with Russia and will not give up its independence, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a televised briefing from Kyiv.

Zelenskiy said Ukrainian forces were defending themselves, and Russia was unable to break through the line of contact in Ukraine’s east. Battles are taking place inside Ukraine, including near the second-largest city, Kharkiv, and near Kherson in the south.