escape to exactly what makes your heart beat. you will love every moment. jamaica. heartbeat of the world. let's go. hello and welcome to our viewers here in the united states. and all around the world. i'm michael holmes in ukraine. breaking news this hour, the latest move from vladimir putin dangerous play book. has this region on the brink of war and western leaders scrambling to respond. >> live from cnn in atlanta. also this hour, a game plan for living with covid. england scraps all remaining restrictions.

welcome everyone. russian president vladimir putin has ordered troops to deploy to areas of the eastern ukraine controlled by russian backed separatists. the latest escalation in a stand off that has the west on edge. the u.s. warning russian forces could arrive in eastern ukraine at any moment. the video there on your screen is from russian media and shows a military convoy moving through separatist control territory. it's unclear who the equipment belongs to. his order came after he signed a decree recognizing the break away regions. as independent republics. separatists have long had backing from moscow. and putin announcement further cements that relationship. it's hard to tell if russia moves are a prelude to full scale invasion of ukraine. he appeared to cast doubt on ukraine's very state hood on monday.

>> essential to understand that ukraine has never had a tradition for genuine state hood. since 1991 it took the path of copying foreign models. political and station institutions were reshaped to suit the rapidly formed plans with selfish interests. that had nothing to do with the interest of ukrainian people. >> world leaders were quick to condemn the russian leaders actions. u.s. president biden holding a call with ukraine president. to discuss it. and zelensky appears unwilling to bend to russia's move. >> we are on our land. we're not afraid of anything or anyone. we do not owe anything to anyone. we're confident of this. >> meantime biden signed an executive order restricting american business in ukraine.

break away regions. and the un held an emergency security counsel meting to discuss all of this. with the u.s. ambassador accusing russia of creating a pretext to invade. >> he has since announced that he will place russian troops in these regions. he calls them peace keepers. this is non-sense. we know what they really are. in doing so, he put before the world a choice. we must meet the moment and we must not look away. >> european union leaders are meeting this hour in brussels to discuss vladimir putin's actions. they'll decide on sanctions against russia in the hours ahead. that is according to to the high representative. in a tweet earlier, the president of the european commission said quote the recognition of the two separatist territories in ukraine is a blatant violation of international law.

the territory integrity of ukraine and the agreements. they will react with unity, firmness and determination in solidarity with ukraine. cnn has reporters across the globe covering the story. in washington this hour. scott is in brussels. we'll start with you. bring us up to date on washington's position and their actions so far. >> the white house remains on high alert. they are waiting to see what next steps russian president vladimir putin will take. as far as a possible invasion of ukraine. now the white house and other top officials have been warning about putin's intentions for the past few days. today the u.s. ambassador to the united nations she talked about how putin is following the play book they predicted he would. when it comes to a possible

invasion. they do not see him stopping his actions now. after putin declared the independents of those two russian separatist backed regions, the u.s. moved forward with implementing some very targeted but limited sanctions that are applied to the region. essentially the sanctions that president biden signed are put in place by an executive order would prevent u.s. businesses from conducting trade or investing in those specific regions. these sanctions are separate from what the administration has been promising for months now. as they have been working closely with allies to impose punishing and severe substantiations against russia. should it further move in with an incursion into ukraine. now one thing that white house officials so far have not done is defined what would amount to

a further invasion. putin has said he's sending peace keeping troops into the region. the white house declined to say whether that would mark the moment that a further invasion has occurred. president biden over the course of monday was consulting closely with allies holding phone calls with a french president. as well as the german chancellor. and ukrainian president zelensky. the u.s. is coordinating very closely with allies when it comes to those sanctions. and top officials said to expect measures in the coming days as they further watch russia's next move. even as the u.s. is preparing for a possible military invasion of ukraine by russia, administration officials still say they are going to continue working through the diplomatic efforts to try to deescalate this situation. as one official put it, the diplomacy will continue until the tanks roll in.

the white house is has been very clear eyed about planning. they are watching and monitoring the movements, watching this military build up. and even as they say they want to achieve and avert a war through the diplomatic means, they also are very cognizant of the facts the steps putin put in place are signaling an invasion could happen at any moment. >> thanks so much. scott, let's bring you in. to talk about the consideration of sanctions. it's interesting the u.s. mild sanctions because russians were there in the don bass before. it seems semantics. russian boots regulars are about to step into ukraine. what's the sanctions attitude there? >> there's a lot of dancing around in terms of the language. the reality is that the eu top

diplomat said yesterday if russia were to annex the break away regions there would be sanctions. period. end of story. if they were to be recognized by russia he would float sanctions and essentially let ministers decide. now that's a situation that we find ourselves in. europe has some decisions to make. foreign ministers from across the continent were here yesterday for a prescheduled meeting and met with the ukrainian foreign minister. many of them likely went hope to respective capitols. but need to come back today because we have just gotten confirmation there will be an extraordinary meeting of the foreign affairs counsel. that is all the foreign ministers from around europe to decide on what they want to do about sanctions. and remember that any decision made need to be a unanimous consensus. of course over night there's been a torrent of official reaction and statements all of them condemning russia's

decision as a violation of international law. and attack on ukraines territorial integrity as well. the question now is will the strong words match the strong actions. some countries like ireland have called for sanctions point-blank. france has called for limited sanctions. and spain and germany said they would consult with their allies in other words they need to stay tuned. the european counsel president you mentioned he said that they would react with unity and firmness. and remember the sanctions package has been prepared already. and so it's just a matter of when that will go out. that was prepared in the event of a russian invasion of ukraine. and as you mentioned everybody has been careful as to how they characterize this. in fact, asked whether he believes just this morning this is the beginning of a ukrainian

invasion. or a russian invasion of ukraine and he said look their in the don bass. we believe that is part of that is part of ukrainian territory. he wouldn't call it a full scale invasion. but what he did say is that there are russian troops on the ground in ukraine. >> words matter. thanks to you both. all right now i want to bring in in london. a research fellow and manager of the ukraine forum in the program. it's great to have you back. this decision is essentially an excuse to go into the don bass. what's your fear in terms of the separatists continuing to fire on ukrainian positions? ukrainians not being able to fire back because it could

provide a provocation. what is your read? >> my view and analysis of the situation has been like we have discussed before that don bass the parts of the occupied eastern part of ukraine is the staging ground for a new military invasion. what is important to understand is russia was always denying there were troops in don bass. it was arming directing the militant information that it created there. and in this russian play book for the occupation is very simple. they grab pieces of land and call them the peace keepers to keep the pieces of land. they issue passports to the civilians. and stage fake humanitarian disaster. and come there to protect them. it's just invasion in a different way. i think it's time for the response from to expose exactly

this duplicity. like u.s. ambassador to the un said we know what they are. they are not peace keepers. they are russian special operations. special troops here to circle and take more ukrainian territory. >> yeah. and to that point this whole issue of the sanctions, the u.s. position seems to be russians were there helping anyway. this is kind of not new. they are putting in fairly mild sanctions in a way. the reality is this is russian regulars stepping foot on sovereign ukraine. should the full raft of sanctions be applied now? >> i mean, we just had a discussion recently with experts. many agree you have to go hard from the very beginning. we should also not expect from sanctions to do miracles. let's be honest, the kind of sanctions that executive orders

imposes formations. who's going to do business in those areas anyway? who is doing business today from american companies in occupied. even in crimea. that is not going to hurt the perpetrator. the aggressor. we have to target the source. the source of instability in europe is kremlin, putin. his entourage. and we see him playing along the script that has been designed sp i'm sure is in the possession of american intelligence. i hope that you will be more resolute and u.s. will ramp up its punitive effect of sanctions. >> now vladimir putin made it clear in his speech his feelings about not just ukraine but the country he calls historically part of the russian empire. i guess the question is, will he stop here? how far will he go in ukraine of course but do other former

soviet states others should they be worried that they might be next in the months or years ahead? >> putin has a very strong possession of this kind of new imperial. we see the preoccupation so much. but gathering russian historical lands. and where does it stop. you're right. look at belarus. this is already been swallowed by russia. for example the in estonia. a substantial russian speaking population. in russia is expanding also influence in central asia. so i think this is the war of either we put a stop to this revisionist policy and basically stop russian imperialism progressing or the whole european continent will be a

threat. where history will be a pretext for border revision. and this is a receipt for disaster. >> one of the great unanswered questions in all of this is is why is vladimir putin bringing this to a head now? what's triggering him into making such moves at this particular point. for no apparent obvious reason. >> i see two reasons. one is that putin was not able to achieve his goal in ukraine by crippling ukraine. and using conflicts in the east. as a leverage to federalize ukraine and make it weak. and to slice it. this didn't work. ukraine was holing and building a viable partnership with the european union. nato and the united states. that's one reason. he really wants to rack ukraine. another one that russia feels it has enough power to compel nato

and u.s. to retreat from eastern europe. they are bold enough to use military threat. that the west will be divided. and russia will get a seat at the global table. with its own sphere of coercion. they can control policy making in those neighboring countries. this was the calculus. to demonstrate russia is bold enough to compel everybody else to pay attention to it. it's kind of a bully that is calling the disturbance in order to attract attention to its action. >> great analysis. as always. great to see you. thanks so much. much more from ukraine at the bottom of the hour. first let's go back to rose mary in atlanta. with the other stories of the day. >> all right. thanks so much. we are following developments in

the coronavirus pandemic. the uk is among the latest countries moving towards living with the virus. restrictions are set to end this week. and we'll have the latest in a live report from england. in a moment.

in the united kingdom an additional covid booster shot will be available within weeks to those older than 75. and the most vulnerable. all part of britains new learning to live with the covid approach. the prime minister out lined the road map monday. for ending covid measures. however johnson also made clear the pandemic is not over. cnn anna stewart joins us from

windsor. with the latest on this. the british public only just found out that the queen has covid. now they're preparing to drop restrictions on thursday. how is everyone responding? >> certainly not a surprise. this plan to live with covid was really very much expected. the two key poin points made yesterday. people will no longer be required by law to self-isolate. there's advise to do so. at least until april. which stage the government will end all free testing. and that has certainly caused concern. here's what the prime minister said yesterday when he made the announcement. >> today is not the day we can declare victory over covid. this virus is not going away. but, it is the day when all the efforts of the last two years

finally enabled us to protect ourselves while restoring our liberties. in full. >> and the end of the restrictions apply currently to england. the other nations have yet to make the decision. in terms of the reaction for some people this is welcome news. it feels like a return to some sort of liberty or a bit more of normal. precovid-19. people are fed up. wearing masks and taking tests. for others it's really concerning. people have a lot of confidence that because the free testing and through the population. people know whether or not they are a cold or covid. and people have to self-isolate if they have covid-19. still for some people does cause severe illness. the government saying that immunity levels in the uk are high. death is incredibly low.

15 recorded the latest data. it feels like maybe a bit of a test case here. we're not actually. the uk is following in the footsteps of denmark and sweden. it will be interesting to see whether with the next wave of covid-19 which may well happen or the next variant of concern. whether they have to hit the reverse and go back into restriction. for now it's looking like back to normal. >> all right. learning to live with it. joining us live from england. many thanks. after months of military drills and wondering whether russia will invade, president putin ramps up the show down moving the region to the precipice of war. live in ukraine next. the new escalation of tensions is rattling investors around the worl. we'll have a check of the markets. only one will be san. wait, what? adding lysol laundry sanitizer kills 99.9% of bacteriria detergent alone, can't.

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that can save you hundreds a year on your wireless bill. visit your nearest xfinity store and see how the switch squad can help you switch and save. switch to xfinity mobile and get connected to the most reliable 5g network. talk with our helpful switch squad at your local xfinity store today. hello, everyone. coming to you live from ukraine. where it is about 10:30 in the morning. out rage growing over moscow decision to order troops into two break away regions in eastern ukraine. that the russian president declared independent states. vladimir putin says he's sending in peace keepers. which the u.s. calls non-sense. it is unclear if any russian

forces have officially crossed the border yet. they will. russian tv net work aired video of the military convoy moving through the streets. the un security counsel held an emergency meeting on monday that contention with the u.s. calling russia's moves a pretext for war. insisting the country will not allow a blood bath in ukraine. and it recognized a separatist region to protect people living there. the eu is meeting today to discuss sanctions and the uk plans to announce its own very soon. the british prime minister is sharing a meeting. of the emergency counsel convening to handle major crisis. joining me here now. cnn international security editor. great to have you back. let's talk about the sanctions first of all. i guess it comes down to the semantics of what's an invasion? this was meant to happen when russian troops crossed into

ukraine. whether you call them peace keepers or not. these are russian regulars crossing in to ukraine. >> there's a finite amount you can do. i think the choice facing western official ss do you do a small amount to show you are serious. but recognize the fact this is not at the stage a full on invasion. and multi-prong offensive. do you say that's it. that's enough. and do everything to make sure there's no further aggression. that's the choice they're facing. it is possible the kremlin way of trying to widen the fishers between european capitols or western capitols to see those are reluctant to go the full way. may have their voices heard. >> you have been reporting too that the exchanges the violations of across the line of contact, they are daily. and multiple and now the russians going to be in there as peace keepers. what's the separatist firing

artillery shell after shell at ukrainians and them sayingngng can't respond because they see it as provocation. >> it's a downside as an option for vladimir putin. if he chooses to recognize the republics and put peace keepers in there. there's a risk russian troops come under fire. and russia would be forced into having to respond in some way. is this an escalation step? the first of many. or is this it. and if it is it, it is certainly a lesser response from moscow. there's talk of whether or not the borders of the separatist areas are recognized as they are. or expanded. it opens the door to significantly more levels of conflict. at the same time it is escalating. at the same time the areas are run by russia for a while. they haven't had russian flags hanging-over them.

it's a slight change but a massive change if that makes sense. >> you mention the sort of fluidity of the border. the separatists initially claimed much more than what they're in now. what is the risk of fudging going on. we have talked about the potential for russia to create the land bridge from russia to crimea. the risk of fudging. >> the line is fading clear at the moment. if there was a bit to try and move out, that would certainly be visible from space. so that would be another level in the escalation. it confuses me if there was going to be a larger move by moscow to take more territory. they would begin with the slow quite technical recognition and later on today the public instruction of troops wearing a russian flag. that would be an odd way to necessarily do it. all of this has been very strange. the most curious part being vladimir putin speech yesterday. which was a man who clearly

expect to say spent a lot of time by himself thinking about this. had a clear set of opinions. which didn't necessarily align with everybody els. history. and feels once to say he feels russia is under imminent threat from nato. which is not obviously the case. that was of the most concerning part of this. not so much the formal recognition of the two republics. that could have been happened. something they wanted for a while. it's whether or not he's laying out the broader case. and then making his smaller step first. it's important to remember he doesn't function in 24 hour cable news cycles. he does tiny things. sits back for a few months and waits everyone to worry about something else and does another thing. the broader plan we have been warned about of a massive multi-prong invasion seemed terrifying for someone like that. it can be incremental. we'll see. the face of a man yesterday was somebody who clearly is seized with an idea and the idea is

horrifying. >> seemed almost angry too. in his tone. great to have you here. all right. now the stark up tick in tensions between russia and ukraine that's sending fresh concerns among global financial markets. hong kong we talk about that. >> global shares are falling. after russian president vladimir putin ordered troops to enter the pro-moscow region in eastern ukraine. and first we can bring up the freshest data for you. with the european market open. and you will see a portrait painted in red. let's bring up the picture. you'll see how european stock markets are performing now. and you see the 100 losing half a percent. paris down almost 1%. now shares here in the realso in the red.

the trading day here tuesday is winding down. here in hong kong losing 2.7%. shanghai losing 1%. i should add the concerns about more high-tech restrictions in china also weighing on the market here in china. this day we have from asia monitoring u.s. futures of course. and indicate that there will be a lower open when wall street reopens later today. of course monday president's day holiday. dow futures down 1.23%. nasdaq losing 3.4%. sp 500 down 2.2%. monday the statement released by the white house reheard that u.s. president biden plans to impose sanctions on the separatist break away regions. in eastern ukraine. that is helped send the price of crude soaring. all of this painting a picture of growing volatility and

growing uncertainty for the fate and future of ukraine and b beyond. for the markets it's not good news. this statement from the market analyst. and in a market research note he writes this. let's bring it up. quote it feels like the situation can escalate at any moment. that will keep investors on edge. on the brink of something terrible happening. that's continued to feed into the negativity in the market. we reached out and gave us a the following. it's a short squeeze as a flight to quality. the move is clearly escalation. suggesting the current risk rewards favor lower long and yields. sure enough the ongoing crisis and uncertainty driven up the price in gold. driven up the price of treasury bonds and investors scramble to find some sort of safe haven out there. >> all right. thanks.

and much more from ukraine coming up. the first let's take it back to atlanta. all right. thanks so much. hearings under way at the from an alleged genocide in 2017. what the court is deciding about myanmar military crack down on muslims. a live report is next.

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welcome back, everyone. hearings are under way at the hague on alleged yen sidgenocidn myanmar. a place brought against demanding it halt alleged acts of genocide against the muslim minority. claiming myanmar violated the genocide convention. citing events in 2017 when more than 730,000 muslims fled myanmar into neighboring bangladesh. after military led crack down. a un fact finding mission concluded that the military campaign had included genocide acts. joining me now from the hague, is president of the global justice center. thank you for being with us. >> thanks for having me. >> what exactly is happening in court this week?

why is the junta representing myanmar. instead of the national unity government. >> the hearing objections filed to jurisdiction actually shortly before the coup. but the previous government including the national league for democracy. and the reason they are in court this week is matter of procedure. where the court communicates with who is accredited to it. with the right now between the national unity government and the junta and venues. many of the agencies are choosing to maintain the status quo from before the coup. >> for the benefit of the viewers who may not know the background to the tragic story. talk about what happened in 2017. to the people. and what the circumstances are now. >> in 2017 they were subject to a massive wave of violence.

of murder. of sexual violence. forced deportation into bangladesh. a million live there in 600,000 remain in myanmar. and this was built on decades of religious discrimination. and oppression of the minority. including the denial of their ability to have citizen ship in the country. and so today you have a million people who can't return and 600,000 people who live under increasing threat with now back in power. those who committed the acts of violence against them in the first place. >> the united nations is calling it genocide. but the international community has done nothing to help the people. and the world court verdict could take months. what real impact will a ruling against the junta have and what more should the world be doing to bring justice? >> so unfortunately a ruling is probably years down the line.

really just at jurisdictional issues. which means that maybe months down the line. what the court case did when it was filed in 2019 is it brought the attention to what happened to the people. brought by a country that's not even connected to the issue. saying genocide is something that's a matter of everybody in the international community. the filing of the case itself was a recognition of the fight. and you talk about something like genocide, the at the core of it is actually the denial of the existence of the community. and attempted to destroy it. the recognition itself is a really important component. there's so much more the international community needs to do now. not just for the people but the entire population of myanmar. you have seen continued security counsel failure to act on the coup. we have seen statements of concern. that calls for action and concrete action like a global

embargo. have been completely ignored by the international community. and could really help change the situation in myanmar. >> such an important point. thank you so much for joining us. appreciate it. >> thank you so much. coming up. escalating tensions. heightening fears of a russian invasion in ukraine. and impacting the country economy. we'll hear from local business operators just ahead. - i i think we should explore a few solutions? - [narrator] grammarly's suggest catch when your tone might undermine your message, and it oers suggestions to make you sound more confident. - let's explore a few solutions. - [narrator] try grammarly day at grammarly.com.

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welcome back. invasion by russian forces could have devastating affects on ukraine's economy. clearly. some small business operators told me the escalating tensions are already having an impact. >> a small clothing and souvenir business. trying to ignore the drum beat of possible war echoing around her country. >> the situation was a lot better after the new year. now you can feel the difference. less tourists means less business. >> small business operators say these are tough times. no tourists and locals are hunkering down. first it was covid lock down. now it's the threat of war keeping the cash register quiet. >> we don't know what will

happen. no one knows it. the situation is difficult for sure. if you ask what to do if it gets worse? my answer is i don't know. the only thing i know for sure i will stay here. no matter what. >> now the pocketbook paying for ordinary ukrainians is obvious. and nationally it is as well. gdps down. investors fled to the sidelines and obviously an invasion makes everything that much worse. experts say even if putin's troops stay on the outside things could be almost as grim. as they apply an economic strangle hold on the country. >> absolutely. because the war is not just a physical action. it's also it's cyber. and diplomatic. businesses are suffering now. and divert resources from development from business investments into protecting operations. and so if it continues there

will be harassment. there will be damage. that's a part of pressure. >> not so many customers. because we are -- >> she manages a popular burger joint. 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 really hard. 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? >> yes. but we are staying calm. because we understand if we will

with a different panic. it will be not so good for us. >> like most ukrainians, nervous but unafraid. >> thanks for watching, everyone. i'm michael holmes live in ukraine. we'll have much more breaking news coverage after the break. like this with hydration that beats the $100 cream in every jar of regenerist retinol24 cocollagen peptide new vitamin c and the iconic red jar can't top this skin shop now at olayay.com it's time for the ultimate sleep number event on the sleep number 360 smart bed. what if i sleep hot? ...or cold? no problem, the sleep number 360 smart bed is temperature bancing so you both sleep just right.s and automatically adjusts to keep you both effortlessly comfortable. so, you can really promise better sleep? yes! you'll know exactly how well you spt, night after night. we take care of the science. all you have to do is sleep. and now, save 50% on the sleep number 360 limited edition smart bed.

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>> anna coren in hong kong. just ahead on "cnn newsroom." we have gotten indication over indication that that door to diplomacy is closing and closing. >> this is nonsense. >> it's a very ill omen. a very dark sign. >> the latest escalation from russia's vladimir putin has the world on edge. we'll have the global reaction over the ukraine crisis. and millions of americans are in the path of a massive winter storm. it's already bringing arctic conditions across the midwest and central u.s. we'll have a live forecast. >> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. and we begin, of course, in ukraine where the prospect of war appears closer than ever as the world waits for vladimir