Putin orders troops into eastern Ukraine; ‘Invasion of Ukraine has begun,’ Javid

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered troops into two breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine after announcing Monday evening that he would recognize their independence.

The move could undermine Western hopes of a diplomatic resolution to the ongoing crisis, with U.K. Health Minister Sajid Javid saying Tuesday that an invasion of Ukraine by Russia was underway.

“From the reports I think we can already tell that [Putin has] sent in tanks and troops,” U.K. Health Minister Sajid Javid told Sky News. “From that you can conclude that the invasion of Ukraine has begun.”

U.S. President Joe Biden has not yet used the word “invasion” to describe the current activity.

The east of Ukraine, near the Russian border, has been the scene of low-level fighting between Moscow-backed separatists and Ukrainian government forces for eight years.