Policy Alert #246 | February 28, 2022
On February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin formally recognized the independence of the southeastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. Known collectively as Donbas, the two territories have been led by pro-Russia separatists for nearly a decade. On February 24, Putin ordered a “special military operation” in Ukraine based on request from the heads of the Donbas regions to carry out what he called “peacekeeping functions.” Putin has invoked the idea of Donbas’s distinctive regional identity as a basis to “defend” its Russian-speaking people from a supposedly intolerant Ukraine. However, Russian forces continued to advance beyond Donbas into some of Ukraine’s largest cities.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba declared Putin had “launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.” Russia’s actions have been swiftly condemned by several nations, which have imposed devastating packages of sanctions and other economic measures to punish Moscow. The European Union for the first time will finance the purchase and delivery of weapons, in a show of support for Ukraine. The EU is also banning Russian planes from its airspace. Following pressure from the UK government, British energy giant BP said it would exit its nearly 20% stake in Russian government-controlled oil producer Rosneft. Western governments joined by Japan said they would cut off a number of Russian banks from the SWIFT network, an international payment system.
Citing “aggressive statements” by NATO and tough financial sanctions, Putin announced that he had put his nuclear deterrence forces into high alert. On February 27, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed Ukraine and Russia would conduct the first diplomatic talks, with delegations from both countries meeting at the Ukrainian border with Belarus. The two countries would meet near the Pripyat River “without preconditions.”
