White House Says Russia Is Invading Ukraine, Rapidly Escalating Border Crisis

Russian troops have begun invading neighboring Ukraine , a White House official said Tuesday, defying fierce diplomatic efforts by world leaders and President Joe Biden s threats of severe economic retaliation.

A White House national security adviser, Jonathan Finer, told CNN that the beginning of Russias latest invasion was underway and that Biden would be rolling out new sanctions against Russia in a matter of hours.

\"An invasion is an invasion and that is what is under way,\" says WH Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer as Putin orders troops into Eastern Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/yvRfZJGqBY

Brianna Keilar (@brikeilarcnn) February 22, 2022","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"Brianna Keilar","author_url":"https://twitter.com/brikeilarcnn","cache_age":86400,"description":"\"An invasion is an invasion and that is what is under way,\" says WH Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer as Putin orders troops into Eastern Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/yvRfZJGqBY Brianna Keilar (@brikeilarcnn) February 22, 2022\n\n","options":{"_hide_media":{"label":"Hide photos, videos, and cards","value":false},"_maxwidth":{"label":"Adjust width","placeholder":"220-550, in px","value":""},"_theme":{"value":"","values":{"dark":"Use dark theme"}}},"provider_name":"Twitter","thumbnail_height":675,"thumbnail_url":"https://pbs.twimg.com/amplify_video_thumb/1496117595958829058/img/HXqWP-LDENhANqCq.jpg","thumbnail_width":1200,"title":"Brianna Keilar on Twitter","type":"rich","url":"https://twitter.com/brikeilarcnn/status/1496117889992118272","version":"1.0"},"flags":[],"enhancements":{},"fullBleed":false,"options":{"theme":"news","device":"mobile","editionInfo":{"id":"us","name":"U.S.","link":"https://action.news","locale":"en_US"},"originalEdition":"us","isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isEntry":true,"isMt":false,"entryId":"61ef3ad2e4b07c5f39bb76a5","entryPermalink":"https://action.news/entry/russia-invades-ukraine_n_61ef3ad2e4b07c5f39bb76a5","entryTagsList":"russia,ukraine,nato,invasion-of-ukraine","sectionSlug":"world-news","deptSlug":"politics-news","sectionRedirectUrl":null,"subcategories":"politics","isWide":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"us.world-news","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc111dcf87c2cd2f5d8bf","overrides":{"front_page_top_videos":{"desktop":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","mobileweb":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d"},"top_media":{"desktop":"60b8e6bdc5449357a7ada147","mobile":"60b8e701c5449357a7ada2ee","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"},"anthology":{"desktop":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","mobile":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"},"content":{"desktop":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","mobile":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"}},"playerUpdates":{"5668ae6ee4b0b5e26955d6a6":"60d2472d9340d7032ad7e443","56aa41bae4b091744c0440d8":"60e869dc7c5f3b17b6741b81","5841b2b5cc52c716ec6e5a7f":"60b8e355cdd90620331ba185","58b5e2b8d85a10302feee895":"60b64316b171b7444beafdb2","58b74698f78ced31417819ae":"60b8e5bec5449357a7ad9b52","58b74ccecebcea57e2c3a3d1":"60b8e5eac5449357a7ad9ca5","58cff690d85a100b9992bc39":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","58cffb3fb6d9b972a49a3c9d":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","58cffdd74d96935d7d6ec180":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","58d03a84f78ced6518eb2fa7":"60b643c82e76be41f112735c","592edf20e0fa177b0c26f7fd":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","5b35266b158f855373e28256":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","5c116f29f79c4171d82b7c2a":"60b64440b171b7444beb040b","5c1170fc600c9a697bf0c6b9":"60b646102e76be41f1127ffc","5c47791afa1b317df8ae0c4f":"60b8e6bdc5449357a7ada147","5c477987a6b48b35f164773d":"60b8e701c5449357a7ada2ee","5c4779ee943c3c2a64f28371":"60b8e747cdd90620331bb861","5c477a26fcd67b26879bc7c2":"60b8e788c5449357a7ada67b","5d8921a78c3ae845f366c9b6":"60ae7be5f3a7c13a30417ff9","58b98b00ba82aa39a6534321":"60d0de7c9340d7032ad1146c","58b9d14cb6d9b96c9ec32af3":"60d0dec19340d7032ad115a0","58cff8eccebcea42931e0436":"60d0e005b627221e9d819d44","592edf5de0fa177b0c26f95b":"60d0e38fb627221e9d81adcf","58cff72fd85a100b9992c112":"60d0e447b627221e9d81b0da","56b4d34fe4b022697697c400":"60d2472d9340d7032ad7e443","60b8e4c0c5449357a7ad957d":"60e869dc7c5f3b17b6741b81"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"defaultPlayer":"ff7fdddc-5441-4253-abc4-f12a33fad58b","clickToPlayPlayer":"d014396e-b366-4c17-aeac-3ce906fa3fd0","videoPagePlayer":"f010447b-d244-4111-a314-7b4542ae4145","verticalPlayer":"e58cb05a-0bc8-4210-9108-fea82726c065","stickyPlayerControl":"52ea1755-d601-4ad1-bccc-d8cce3f0e5da","stickyPlayerON":"8055e9e5-3bda-4933-8d45-9ad814fb6e22"},"topConnatixThumnbailSrc":"https://img.connatix.com/93724c07-e223-4351-a147-242458c56fc5/1_th.jpg?crop=480:270,smart&width=480&height=270&format=jpeg&quality=60&fit=crop","customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"positionInSubUnitCounts":{"article_body":{"count":16},"blog_summary":{"count":0},"before_you_go_content":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":1},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"61ef3ad2e4b07c5f39bb76a5","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"mobile","page_edition":"en-us"},"tags":[{"name":"Russia","slug":"russia","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/russia","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/russia","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/russia"},"department":{"name":"Latest News","slug":"politics-news"},"section":{"title":"World News","slug":"world-news"},"topic":{"title":"Russia","slug":"russia","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/news/topic/russia"},{"name":"Ukraine","slug":"ukraine","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/ukraine","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/ukraine","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/ukraine"},"department":{"name":"Latest News","slug":"politics-news"},"section":{"title":"World News","slug":"world-news"},"topic":{"title":"Ukraine","slug":"ukraine","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/news/topic/ukraine"},{"name":"NATO","slug":"nato","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/nato","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/nato","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/nato"},"department":{"name":"Latest News","slug":"politics-news"},"section":{"title":"World News","slug":"world-news"},"topic":{"title":"NATO","slug":"nato","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/news/topic/nato"},{"name":"invasion of ukraine","slug":"invasion-of-ukraine","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/invasion-of-ukraine","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/invasion-of-ukraine","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/invasion-of-ukraine"},"url":"https://action.news/topic/invasion-of-ukraine"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"isLiveblog":false,"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["

\r\n\r\n","

\r\n\r\n"],"adCount":0},"isCollectionEmbed":false}">

"An invasion is an invasion and that is what is under way," says WH Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer as Putin orders troops into Eastern Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/yvRfZJGqBY
Brianna Keilar (@brikeilarcnn) February 22, 2022

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that he sees parts of eastern Ukraine that are controlled by separatist militias as independent countries and wants to redraw European borders for the first time in decades a violation of international law.

The Kremlin previously published decrees ordering Russias defense ministry to deploy what it called peacekeeping forces in Ukraines Donetsk and Luhansk regions, the two Russia-backed separatist territories. At the time, it wasnt immediately clear whether or when Russian troops would enter Ukraine and choose to fight the Western-backed Ukrainian military.

The invasion comes after an increasingly tense crisis between Russia and Ukraine, which has been trying to escape Russias grip by moving closer toward becoming a democracy and aligning itself with the West. Russia has been building up its military along its 1,200-mile border with Ukraine since 2014, but recently accelerated its moves to try and force the U.S. and its allies to promise to keep the smaller nation out of the NATO military alliance.