On the evening of 21 February, Russian President Vladimir Putin recognised the independence of Donetsk and Lugansk in Ukraine and asked the Russian army to "maintain peace" in the two pro-Russian separatist regions. A few hours later, a column of armoured vehicles arrived on the outskirts of a town near Donetsk. But the military pressure stretches even further: in the north-east of Ukraine and in Belarus, the Russian army continues to build up troops, moving closer and closer to the border.
It only took hours for Putin's words to come to fruition. On the evening of February 21, the Russian president announced the "immediate" recognition of the self-proclaimed pro-Russian republics of Donetsk and Lugansk.
