for the mornings when everything's wrong. for the manicure that makes everything right, for right now. show up, however you can, for the foster kids who need it most— at helpfosterchildren.com hello, everyone. i am michael holmes coming to you live from ukraine, as western leaders are speaking out against vladimir putin ordering russian troops into the donbas region. >> cnn world headquarters on the

latest with living with covid, ending restrictions just as the more contagious, and potentially more deadly subvariant of omicron takes hold. welcome, everyone. the russian president, vladimir putin, has now ordered troops into parts of eastern ukraine controlled by russian-backed separatists. the u.s. says russian troops could mobilize within hours. and the state department is moving diplomats in western ukraine, over the border to poland for the night. mr. putin's deployment order came, just hours after he signed a decree recognizing those breakaway regions as independent republics. separatists there have long had backing from the kremlin. u.s., ukrainian, and nato officials say moscow supplies

them with advice and intelligence, and even embeds russian officers in their ranks. meanwhile, this video from a russia media outlet shows a military convoy moving through the streets, though, it is unclear who the equipment belongs to. it is hard to tell if russia's position represents the opening moves of a full hf scale invasion of ukraine or something less but vladimir putin delivered an ominous threat to kyiv on monday. >> translator: and from those who seized and hold power in kyiv, we demand an immediate cessation of hostilities. otherwise, all responsibility for the possible continuation of the bloodshed will be entirely on the conscience of the regime ruling on the territory of ukraine. >> now, people celebrated after mr. putin signed the decree formally recognizing the breakaway region's independence. but in the capital, kyiv,

ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy appeared unwilling to bend to the threats. >> translator: we are on our land. we are not afraid of anything or anyone. we do not owe anything to anyone. we are confident of this. >> meanwhile, the u.n. just wrapped up an emergency meeting of the security council to discuss the crisis with the u.s. ambassador accusing russia of creating a pretext to invade ukraine. >> he has since announced that he will place russian troops in these regions. he calls them peacekeepers. this is nonsense. we know what they really are. >> now, in the united states, president joe biden responding to vladimir putin's actions by signing an executive order restricting american business in those breakaway regions of

ukraine. the president says this move denies russia the chance to profit from its blatant violations of international law, as he put it. and the u.s. will continue to chosely closely consult and allies and partners, he said, including ukraine on next steps. meantime, america's top diplomat antony blinken had this warning for russia -- quoting here -- kremlin' recognition of the so-called people's republics as independent requires a sbift and firm response and we will take appropriate steps in coordination with partners, unquote. for more reaction, let's bring in cnn white house correspondent arlette saenz. arlette, bring ups up to date o the white house's position, and what actions it's taking and what actions it's not yet taking. >> well michael, the white house continues to sound the alarm ant a threat of a further invasion into ukraine, especially following those moves russian president vladimir putin took

early todays a he recognized those two pro-moscow territories, as in recognizing their independence. you heard there from the u.s. ambassador do the united nations, linda thomas-greenfield t talking about some of the movements they have seen russia take in recent days. now, u.s. officials have said they anticipate those troops that putin has ordered into those eastern-ukraine regions, to those troops could be arriving in the coming hours. the u.s. has also seen broad preparations for a broader strike invasion, including the arrival of amphibious ships, as well as equipment for airborne units. now, this all comes, as the u.s., over the course of the past few days, has really ratcheted up their warnings about russia's intentions when it comes to ukraine. but one thing that the u.s. has not said, so far, is they are -- the white house has, so far,

declined to say whether they believe those troops going into that donbas region, whether that would amount to further invasion. a senior official telling reporters today this would it would not necessarily be a new step for troops to be there because they have been there in that area since 2014. now, that decision to not, yet, describe whether that would amount to a further invasion -- that is very important, particularly when it comes to the sanctions that the united states has prepared to place, should russia move forward with that more broad-scale invasion. now, one thing earlier today -- or i should say, on monday -- president biden did announce more limited, targeted sanctions that would prevent american companies from conducting trade or investing in those two pro-russia territories that putin had recognized as independent. now, this does not compare -- it -- it does not equate to

those larger, more sweeping sanctions that the u.s. has been working on with allies to implement if russia does further invade ukraine. but top-u.s. officials have said they expect some action to be taken on tuesday, as they continue to monitor exactly what russia's next moves are. now, one thing that officials have still been making clear -- even as russia is ramping up this military pressure -- they still insist that there could be a path to diplomacy. one senior-administration official said they would be working on diplomatic efforts until, quote, the tanks roll. so still, they are holding out some hope that diplomacy could work but the u.s. still remains very clear eyed about russia's intentions, particularly as they were watching the potential of this military provocation really brewing. >> yeah. already, criticism of those very limited sanctions outlined.

arlette saenz there in washington. thanks so much. just hours ago, the united nations' security council met for a late-night emergency session at the request of ukraine. many member nations, speaking out against russia's actions, including the u.s. ambassador to the u.n. as we just heard, who says it will be met with swift and severe consequences. cnn's richard roth joins me now from the u.n. with more. u.n. security council often criticized for not being able to do very much, and of course russia having a veto at the security council, bring us up to date on events there, richard. >> well, there was a lot of talking which critics of the u.n. say is all it does but there are 193 member countries of the united nations. and if one country invades or threatens to invade another, that is the so-called third rail of international law. and of diplomacy or lack of it, here at the united nations, alarm bells go off. we, earlier, heard the u.s.

ambassador denounce what russia is doing bringing in so-called peacekeepers into the two regions in eastern ukraine. well, most of the countries here on the security council denounced what was done and condemned moscow. the russian ambassador said, look, there is not gonna be a b bloodbath in eastern ukraine. he called it a verbal assault in the security council, from the amount of countries that were denouncing moscow. china played it straight down the middle, as it always does. appealing and calling for restraint, no violence, and diplomacy. the united kingdom joined the u.s. in saying they will be revealing new sanctions on moscow. the ukrainian ambassador, when he took his mask off due to covid rules, says there is a virus that is coming from the kremlin and the u.n. is sick and it -- it just depends on if the united nations now will succumb to what russia is doing. michael. >> all right.

thanks for that, wrap-up, richard roth there at the u.n. good to see you, my friend. in the coming hours, european union officials will discuss the list of russian individuals and entities subject to sanctions, as well as details of general sanctions against russia. in a tweet, the president of the european commission said this. quoting now. the recognition of the two separatist territories in ukraine is a blatant violation of international law, the territorial integrity of ukraine, and the minsk agreements. the eu and its partners will react with unity, firmness, and -- and a top diplomat said they will be, quote, severe and far reaching and the british prime minister, boris johnson, calling putin's actions a dark sign. >> this is plainly in breech of

international law. it is a violation of -- of -- of f flagrant violation of the sovereignty and integrity of the -- of ukraine. it is a repudiation of the minsk process and minx agreements and i think it is a very ill oman and a very dark sign. >> all right. let's bring in matthew schmidt now. he is associate professor of political science at university of new haven. good to see you again, professor. so what do you think is putin's next move, now that he is putting these so-called peacekeeping troops in the donbas? >> he retains total control just like he did yesterday. it doesn't change a lot on the ground. he had troops there yesterday. he has more troops there tomorrow. he can sit back and wait and he can -- he can bait zelenskyy to see if the ukrainian military will do something.

he can create his own incidents or he can just sit as long as emts right now. >> the -- the u.s. seems to be talking about donbas-specific sanctions. they -- they -- they were talking about, you know, hitting hard with sanctions with a single russian boot acrossed the border. now, russians have been on the ground in the donbas for a long time but this is something more formal. there are russian boots crossing the border. do you think these limited sanctions are enough? or is this time to send a big message? >> no i think it is a mistake for the administration to -- to do these limited sanctions right now. um, we need to go all in on this. the daefeat mechanism for putin against putin, is his public. and there are really only two ways to do that. one is to -- to cause pain in russia economically to the oligarchic class. and the second is to show the rest of the country what the human cost of this war is. that is, when and if the shooting starts, to -- pardon me here -- but to stack up the body

bags in front of the kremlin so that everybody can see what is really going on and his information machine can't hide that from his own scitizens. >> yeah, you started a recent cnn op-ed by asking what's the only real deterrent to a ukraine -- ukraine invasion by putin? so -- so what is the answer to that, given the -- the situation right now? >> it is his public. it's his defeat mechanism. the public in russia, for where this war is not really popular. and i don't think we understand that in the less. this is not something people are necessary hi rallying around the flag for. they have to see what is really going on. they have to see the real pi pictures in ukraine when the shooting starts and they have see that there are real russians that are coming back as casualties. and then the sanctions need to hit, and essentially need to say to the russian public do you want this guy leading you? right? is this what you want? is this the future you want?

or is this the future that he wants? >> i know you have also written that the u.s., you know, should fight back stronger in the information war. and -- and engage ordinary russians and even oligarchs. what would that look like? >> a lot of it looks like what we are doing right here, getting -- getting the message of real news out and into the public. a lot of bhas going on right now in the russian public is that the younger cohorts are using telegram and other social media channels to get news encrypted and getting around russian sensors. so that needs to continue, and then this is a big part of what the ukrainian military and government is doing. because they speak the language, they know russian society. and they are getting the message across that this -- you know, what is really going on in the donbas and what putin is really threatening elsewhere. and again, right, to remind viewers, there are millions of

ethnic ukrainians in russia right now that are russian citizens and they are looking about that i ever friends and relatives who are staring down the barrel of russian guns. this isn't easy for them. >> yeah, exactly. you taught strategic planning to the u.s. military. so, you have a good position to be talking about this. i am just curious. i mean, there's been exchanges of fire -- artillery and other banned weapons -- over that line of contact in the donbas. with the russians there now, if they are acting as, quote/unquote, peacekeepers, what -- what is ukraine meant to do if the separatists are firing across that line of contact? if they return fire, one presumes these, quote/unquote, peacekeepe peacekeepers will swing into action? >> right. ukrainian military's job right now is to not be provoked. russia will have its military try things over and over, again, to see if they can trip the ukrainians up into giving putin

an excuse into widening the war. eventually, however, that won't matter and putin will create his own incidents. but the trick is twofold. this is how the war comes down. we are going to get caught up in tactical details over the next few days but it comes down to two big things. first, is the ability of the ukrainian military to transition from an active defense, that is from slowing down russian troops coming across the border and into a resistance movement. and the second is just simply the willingness of the average-ukrainian citizen -- soldier or civilian alike -- to fight and to continue to fight if russia comes in and uses kill list and thing likes that to try to destabilize the structure of society. that is what it will come down to. >> professor matthew schmidt, appreciate your insights. thanks so much. >> my pleasure. all right. the escalating tensions continue to rattle investors and markets around the world. cnn's kristie lu stout joins me now from hong kong.

what are you seeing, christi? >> michael, stocks across the asia-pacific region are in the red. this, after russian president vladimir putin ordered troops to enter those breakaway pro-moscow regions in eastern ukraine. let's bring up the picture for you and it's portrait across the region in red and if you can hook at the hatest data, we will bring it up on the screen. we have been monitoring the nikkei in japan, as well as other markets. you see, the nikkei is down 1.8% here in hong kong, down 3.34%. seoul kospi down 1.7ers. shanghai composite down 1.4%. more tech-sector restrictions are also weighing on markets here across china. also today, from asia, we are closely monitoring u.s. futures and let's bring up that picture, as well. because we know monday was presidents day holiday in the united states. markets were closed by when they open, it is going to be a down day there. dow features down 1.3%. nasdaq futures down 3.25.

s&p 500 down 2.17%. now according to the white house, they issued a statement on monday saying that u.s. president joe biden plans to impose sanctions those breakaway pro-moscow regions in eastern ukraine. that announcement has been pushing up the price of oil. there is just so much uncertainty out there, in regards to the fate and future of ukraine and beyond. and bottom line, this is not good news for the markets who have been reaching out to a number of strategists and analysts for comment and i want you to listen to this. or rather, look at this. a statement that we got from michael edward, he is a global strategist from rubble bank and he tells cnn this -- quote, the russia situation is also worryingly linked to concurrent dynamics in asia such as the news china is to shift to a single state-run portal to buy its iron other. the architecture is all crumb nling, he says. such changes are not positive for markets, unquote. then we have this from the head of fixed income research at west bank. and he tells cnn, quote, i do

think it is as much a short squeeze as a night to quality today's move is clearly an escalation, which suggests that the current risk rewards will favor lower long-end yields. and sure enough, we know this ongoing and very fluid crisis in ukraine has driven up the price, not only of oil, but it's driven up the price of gold as well as treasury bonds, as investors out there are just scrambling to find some sort of safe haven out there. back to you, michael. >> yeah. big disruption. kristie lu stout, appreciate it. thanks so much. and much more from ukraine at the bottom of the hour. but first, let's take it back to john vause in atlanta with the day's other stories. john. >> michael, we will see you before too long. take a short break in the meantime and after two years of tight-border controls, more countries are welcoming back international travelers all part learning to live with covid. also ahead, a series of winter storms barrelling through

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in the uk, an additional covid booster shot will be available within weeks to those older than 75 as well as the most vulnerable. all part of britain's learning to live with covid approach. just one of the many nations to do so with new infections globally on the decline. we get this report from cnn's nina dos santos. >> reporter: living with covid-19, according to the british prime minister boris johnson -- it's the way forward and the next phase of the uk's battle with the coronavirus. johnson says that, since their sufficient immunity built up over the past two years, on thursday, all coronavirus restrictions will end in england. people who test positive will no longer legally be required to

isolate. routine contact tracing operations will stop, and free universal testing will cease in april. he says that, even though the pandemic isn't over, it's important to shift away from government mandates, to personal responsibility. >> covid will not, suddenly, disappear. so, those who would wait for a total end to this war, before lifting the remaining regulations would be restricting the liberties of the british people for a long time to come. this government does not believe that that is right or necessary. >> reporter: australia is also lifting some of its strictest covid-19 restrictions, as it re-opened its international borders on monday to vaccinated tourists for the first time in nearly two years. >> picking up my best friend. haven't seen him since 2018 and he made it back just in time for my wedding in four days. >> the long-awaited reunions part of a staggered plan by the

government, to move away from the cycle of lockdowns and border controls that earned the country the nickname fortress australia. late-last year, after parts of the nation reached benchmark vaccination rates, australia slowly began to re-open its doors. in november, fully-vaccinated australian citizens were allowed to travel abroad and to return home. but this welcome back isn't without a few ground rules. travelers must show proof of having two doses of an approved vaccine, and western australia remains closed until march the 3rd. unvaccinated people will still have to quarantine. but in the states of victoria and new south wales, they have recently slashed their isolation periods, from 14, to seven days. >> it's been a party out here at sydney airport. everyone's celebrating. it's so great to have the international tourists back from right around the world. >> reporter: new zealand is also

signaling a shift in its covid-19 measures. prime minister jacinda ardern said the nation will begin easing its vaccination mandates and other social-distancing rules, after it's past the peak of the omicron variant, which experts say could be in the next three-to-six weeks. >> we all want to go become to the way that life was. and we will. i suspect, sooner than you think. but when that happened, it will be because easing restrictions won't compromise the lives of thousands of people, not because you demanded it. >> reporter: ardern, referring to protestors inspired by truckers' demonstrations in canada that have camped out in the country's capital to protest vaccine mandates and other government policies. new zealand's own phased re-opening is under way. on sunday, it will allow fully-vaccinate the new zealand citizens and australians to enter the country from australia if they self-isolate for seven

days. with more re-openings planned throughout the course of the year. nina dos santos, cnn, london. to san diego now. dr. eric topal, cardiologist. welcome back to "cnn newsroom." >> great to be with you, zwron. >> so, around the world, we are seeing restrictions coming to an end or easing up to varying degrees. it is all part of living with covid stage that we are now in. the british prime minister outlined the big picture of how this would work during question time monday. here he is. >> it is time that we've got our confidence back. we don't need laws to compel people to be considerate to others. we can rely on that sense of responsibility towards one another. providing practical advice, and the knowledge that people will follow it to avoid infecting loved ones and others.

>> if past is prolog, the jury is still out on the wisdom of trusting everyone to do what is sensible and responsible? >> i would agree with that point. we are really notrate ready for people to have their own rules about self-isolation. that is, not to have any. there are people who are immunocompromised out there. there are people who are at risk for various reasons. and spreading the virus with fwha any kind of reckless policies isn't going to help anything. so we have to be careful here. it is good to be confident that we are coming down from this omicron wave but it's very likely, in the months ahead, we will face another noxious variant that can be really troubling. so, we don't want to be too overconfident and we don't want to abandon things that work. >> i just wondering if that new, you know, variant is already out there. subvariant of omicron known as b. a. 2. there's been a bunch of studies they found it is more contagious than the already highly contagious omicron.

so can you see new wave coming in with ba.2 and a need to bring back these restrictions and how difficult will it be to put those restrictions back in place? >> you are making an essential point, zwjohn. the ba.2 itself, the data are pretty positive for not having anything that is vaccine resistant that is really escaping immune system any different than the omicron sister ba.1. and not very virulent. not more disease causing. although, there was a study from a very reputable lab in japan that suggested in -- in the animal model that it could be concerning but we don't have any good evidence, yet, to be afraid of ba.2. it really is behaving much more like the aoriginal omicron ba.1. however, there will be likely because we have so many billions of people out there who have not been vaccinated, immunocompromised people who can have the virus evolve within them. massive animal reservoirs of the

virus. there ever so many different ways that a virus, as you mentioned, could already be out there with a new variant that is troubling. or could be out there in -- in the months ahead. >> and if -- to live with covid then crucial to the living part of that seem to be booster shots. again, there's been some new data recent hi, which says or indicates they are very effective, much more effective after preventing serious illness and death for a much longer time than first thought, right? >> yes. i think the really important message we have gotten from the booster shoot is it -- it had a very pronounced benefit, and it may be quite durable for severe disease protection. protection against hospitalizations and deaths. even against omicron, which had so many mutations, different from any other version of the virus. so, there is this question of a fourth dose for people of advanced age, like over 75. that is the plan in the uk. and of course, it is being used in israel more liberally. but the fourth dose may not be

necessary if we see very low levels of circulating virus, which is the hope in the weeks and months ahead. >> i mean looking at the situation with the fourth dose, the law of diminishing returns coming into play? >> well, you know, it's four months after the third dose, there is some evidence -- at least from israel -- of people having the same type of thing that happened with the initial booster. so, at least for people at high risk is something to think about. that's what we saw with the -- the uk announcement today. we are going to have to grapple with that in the u.s. and other countries but it is not likely to be anything like the booster dam campaign that we have been through which was essentially all adults. it is probably going to be restricted to immunocompromised and people of particularly advanced age but we will see over time. >> dr. eric topal as always, grateful for your expert opinion and insight. thank you for being with us. >> thank you. we will take a short break. when we come back, there is a big setback for diplomacy.

the russian president threatens the ukrainian government, and is trying to redraw the borders of a sovereign country. we are live from ukraine with the very latest, in a moment. at prices you're r really feel. shop the lowe's bathth style & save event now in-store and online.e. are you one of the millions of americans who experience occasional bloating, gas or abdominal discomfort? taking align can help. align contains a quality probiotic to naturally help soothe digeive upsets 24/7. try align, the pros in digestiv. and join the align healthy g team up and learn what milons of align users already know. how great a healthy gut can feel. sign up at alignprobiotics.com also try align dualbiotics gummies to help support digestive health.

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for the foster kids who need it most— at helpfosterchildren.com hello, everyone. i can michael holmes coming to you live from laviv in western ukraine, where we are tracking the uproar and alarm over

russia's troubling maneuvers that have ramped up this crisis in eastern ukraine. russian troops could move into the separatist regions, at any time now, and might already be there. russian media have been airing video of a military convoy in the streets of donetsk. ukraine's president addressed the nation earlier insisting, quote, we don't owe anything to anyone, and we will not give anything to anyone. and he thanked the ukrainian people for keeping their cool. >> translator: we have been prepared for a long time for any scenario but there is no reason for your sleepless nights. >> meanwhile, the russian president has accused authorities in kyiv of carrying out two, quote, punitive operations in the russian-backed separatist areas in light-led

th red there on your screen. and russia's u.n. envoy says they won't allow a bloodbath. ukrainian authorities denied any such attack. vladimir putin called on them to immediately halt hostilities and said if they don't, any bloodshed would be their fault. now, the russian president claims the forces deployed in the breakaway areas of eastern ukraine are part of a peacekeeping mission. cnn's matthew chance has a closer h closer look kremlin's perspective. >> this is the moment vladimir putin further escalated this dangerous standoff with ukraine. signing a presidential decree that would unilaterally redraw ukraine's borders and set back any prospects of diplomacy. >> translator: i consider it necessary to make a long-overdue decision to immediately recognize the independence and sovereignty of the people's republic. >> for years, those self-styled

rebel republics, backed by moscow, have been the focus of ukraine's bitter-civil war. a peace deal called the minsk agreement graemt was meant to reintegrate the breakaway regions into ukraine. now, russia -- an entire region -- is on a war footing once again. and president putin has massed tens of thousands russian troops near ukraine's borders has made it clear, there will be no quarter given if the government of ukraine attempts to resist. >> translator: and from those who seized and hold power in kyiv, we demand an immediate cessation of hostilities. otherwise, all the possibility for the possible continuation of the blood shed will be entirely on the conscious of the regime ruling on the territory of ukraine. >> reporter: but it may be russia that's planning more, even manufacturing a reason to attack. this is what russia says are

ukrainian armored vehicles. ukrainian officials have strongly denied this ever took place. there was no crossing, no ukrainian casualties, they insist. all this is just a pretext, they say, to ratchet up tensions. earlier, there was more kremlin theater on state television. a carefully choreographed session with a normally closed russian security council discussing eastern ukraine. and then, called on, one by one, to tell the russian leader what he wanted to hear. the situation there is tense, the russian defense minister says. serious provocations are being prepared, he alleges, to impose a forcible solution on the region. the implication is that russia should act. basically, ukraine doesn't even need these territories now, said

dmitry medvedev, a former-russian president and prime minister. the residents have not been receiving any support from ukraine in years he added. on the contrary, they are subject to mass repression. on russian-state media, these were the dubulent scenes in one of the breakaway regions where news filtered back that moscow had recognized the territory as an independent state. russian flags and fireworks, set to a blaring national anthem. for the u.s. and its allies, this is yet, another, unilateral russian violation of ukrainian sovereignty to be punished. matthew chance, cnn, kyiv. now, the president of the european council is in agreement. char michelle tweeting that russia's recognition of the separatist territories also violates sbragz laul and the minsk agreements and quote the eu and its partners will react

with unity, firmness, and determination. now, the spokesman for the u.n. secretary general, also condemning russia's actions. >> the secretary general is greatly concerned by the decision by the russian federation related to the status of certain areas of donetsk regions of ukraine. the secretary general considers a decision of the russian federation to be a violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of ukraine, and inconsistent with the principles of the charter of the united nations. >> now, lithuanian prime minister had issue much harsher words for president putin saying he put kafka and orwell to shame, and there are no limits to dictator's imagination, no lows too low, no lines to blatant, to red lines too red to cross. goes ton onto say how the world

responds quote will define us for generations to come. now, clearly, the world is watching and waiting for vladimir putin's next move. while we wait, cnn's brian todd breaks down the russian president's moves. >> ukraine is not just our neighboring country. it's an integral part of our own history, culture, and spiritual space. >> reporter: analysts say, for vladimir putin, ukraine is personal. to hear putin tell it on monday, ukrainians are really russian. hardly even their own nation. >> translator: ukraine has never had a consistent tradition of being a true nation. >> i think, for vladimir putin, he is essentially denying the legit legitimacy of ukraine as an independent state. >> reporter: his speech on monday, a window into his thinking in history. >> he's got all these grievances that are built up and he is trying to solve them all in one sort of very, you know, brutal attack on ukraine. >> reporter: early in his

presidency, the former-kgb colonel told his nation the demise of the soviet union was the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century and there was one soviet republic he especially regretted losing. >> for him, ukraine is the crown jewel that was lost. ukraine is a sister country. >> reporter: experts say putin has always had the view that countries on russia's periphery have to be pro-russian, and he sees a western-friendly ukrainian government has a threat to that ideal. >> he doesn't fear nato. he fears democracy and ukraine, that's something he fears because it is an example for his own people to see. >> but they also say the man born and raised in what is now st. petersburg, the seat of the czars, has his own legacy in mind. >> like the great czars of the past or the head of the soviet union, he left russia as a great power to be feared, respected, and treat -- treated seriously in the world. >> reporter: analysts say putin

has chafed at what he has perceived as past-u.s. administrations treating russia like a lesser power, and that flexing his muscle with ukraine is a way to keep his country relevant. >> he wants people to be coming to russia to solve world problems, them being a threat to others, that's better than being disrespected or ignored. >> reporter: but kremlin watchers say the man viewed as the ultimate strategist may have overplayed his hand this time. >> it could be a terrible miscalculation. war leads to unpredictable consequences. the economic consequences of an invasion would be massive on russia. >> reporter: as powerful as vladimir putin is, analysts say a drawn-out bloody war in ukraine would harm his legacy, and could even start to threaten his hold on power. as one expert points out, significant losses from the war in afghanistan did contribute to the dissolution of the soviet union. brian todd, cnn, washington. and i will be back with more later this hour but for now,

let's turn it back to john. john. >> thank you again. at this hour, millions of americans are under some form of weather alert with snow, sleet, and freezing rain from the northern plains to the great lakes. we will have a live report from the cnn weather desk in just a moment. better skin from your body wash? try olay body wash with skin care super ingredient collagen. olay body wash hydrates to improve skin 3x better, from dry and dull to fi. withlay body, i feel fearless in my in. shh, do you think she's still awake? don't worry. the lexus rx.

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a series of winter storms will bring a combination of heavy snow to the northern united states and possible tornados to the south. nearly 25 million people are under some kind of winter-storm alert right now. cold arctic air straight as far as texas. so for the very latest forecast, we are joined by meteorologist karen mcginnis. this is quite the weather. >> it is.

it's the february surprise. and it's a multiday event that will impact just about everyone across the united states. yeah, a few areas will be relatively unaffected. but everything from cold, to blizzard conditions, to flooding, to sharply colder conditions and we are looking at windchill advisories across the northern tier. these windchills are going to be down to minus-50 degrees. and we are expecting blizzard conditions with wind gusts, maybe, around 60 to 70 kilometers per hour. all right. here is the troublemaker right here. but that is not the only one. we have got several series of low-pressure systems that will sweep across the interior west. also, across the central plains and towards the great lakes region over the next several days. what makes this so remarkable is that these temperatures are thoroughly -- take a look at mynaught. it feels like minus-35 degrees celsius. fargo, i want to point that out. it is actually minus 21 degrees right now. windchill factor, minus 35.

take a look at these images coming out of castleton, north dakota -- or south dakota. this lies just to the west of fargo. and they saw such blizzard conditions here, the winds were gusting around 60 kilometers per hour. visibility was near zero and all-day long, that temperature remained below the freezing mark. there were six injuries reported here. th there were about six tractor-trailers involved with this that shut down a portion of that interstate 95 -- 94 for some hours. all right. in the deep south, it is big thunderstorms that will produce some violent weather, especially to the northwest of dallas, there were some tornados reported here, as well. with some large-size hail and, john, looks like this is gonna continue even towards the end of the work week. >> wow. karen, quite the forecast. thank you for that. we will take a short break. when we come back, escalating tensions are earning heightening

fears of an invasion of ukraine. we will have more from local businesses when we come back.

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new from vicks. welcome back, everyone. i'm michael holmes in la viv, ukraine, and we want to bring you the latest on these escalating tensions between russia and ukraine. russian troops could move into eastern ukraine anytime now after vladimir putin ordered forces into two separatist-held areas. the russian president signing decrees recognizing the independence of both these kremlin-backed regions. here's what he said about the move. >> translator: i consider it necessary to make a long overdue

decision to immediately recognize the independence and sovereignty of the donetsk people's republic and the luhansk people's republic. >> meantime, ukraine's president delivered his own address to the nation. volodymyr zelenskyy saying russia's actions violate his country's national integrity and sovereignty, and ukraine will not, quote, give away anything to anyone. now, an invasion by russian forces could have a devastating impact, of course, on ukraine's economy and local businesses as well. some say the escalating tensions are already having an effect. this individual manages a small clothing and souvenir business in central lviv, trying to ignore the drumbeat of possible war echoing around her country. >> translator: the situation was a lot better after the new year, but now you can feel the difference. less tourists means less

business. >> small business operators like her say these are tough times. no tourists and locals are hunkering down. first it was covid lockdowns. now it's the threat of war keeping the cash register quiet. >> translator: we don't know what will happen. no one knows it. the situation is difficult for sure, but if you ask what to do if it gets worse, then my answer is i don't know the only thing i know for sure, i will stay here no matter what. >> now, the pocketbook pain for ordinary ukrainians is obvious, and nationally it is as well. gdp is down. investors have fled to the sidelines, and obviously an invasion would make everything that much worse. but experts say even if putin's troops stay on the outside, things could be almost as grim as they apply an economic stranglehold on this country. >> absolutely because the war is not just, you know, a kinetic,

physical action. it's also economic. it's cyber, diplomatic. you know, the businesses are suffering now, and the resources from development from business investments into protecting operations, and so if it continues, there will be harassment. there will be damage. so that's a part of pressure. >> not so many customers because we are -- >> daria manages a popular burger joint in lviv. people are still coming in, but she's worried about what might come. are you worried about how an invasion might affect business? >> yes. it's -- it's really hard because it's more psychology situation, not only about food, not only about smiles.

>> still like virtually all ukrainians we meet, she's both stoic and confident in her country. are you worried about the war? >> many of us, yes. but we are staying calm because we understand if we will be nervous and with a different panic, it will be not so good for us. >> like most ukrainians, nervous but unafraid. and that's all we have this hour. i'm michael holmes live in lviv, ukraine. i'm john vause in atlanta. michael and i will be back with more news in just a moment. stay with us. you're watching cnn. hey, you two. check out all these camera views in my silverado i can see in froront of me, behind me, on either side o of me. and it has this cam, so i can see if there's any funny business going on.

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>> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. i'm michael holmes coming to you live from ukraine. our breaking news this hour, putin's latest move has the world on edge. the united nations security council gathering for a late-night emergency meeting as leaders worldwide brace for a possible full invasion of ukraine. one of putin's goals. how far will he go? live from cnn world headquarters in atlanta, i'm