tonight, tensions rising. with russian troops massed on the ukrainian border, vladimir putin recognizing two pro-russian rebel areas in eastern ukraine as independent, and ordering in troops for what he calls peacekeeping. the u.s. and international communities condemning his actions against our ally, as two nations appear to move lowser to war. could there be a full-scale invasion? plus, the people caught in the middle. one american family's harrowing journey out of ukraine with their newly adopted special needs child. >> we were getting phone calls hey, we're really concerned something's going to happen any time now in kyiv. we were starting to get really nervous. >> plus, ukrainians here in the.

concern for their friends and family back home. this special edition of "nightline," "crisis in ukraine" will be right back.

good evening. thank you for joining us. russian president vladimir putin delivered a fiery speech today undermining ukraine's legitimacy and declaring two pro-russian

separatist areas in the country independent, ordering troops in for what he calls peacekeeping. the two countries now appearing to be on the brink of war, the white house urging ukrainian president zelenskyy to leave the capital city of kyiv for his own safety. here is abc's chief global affairs correspondent martha raddatz on the ground in ukraine. >> reporter: u.s. intelligence, the pentagon, the white house are all watching the russian troop movements very carefully. 150,000 at least russian troops on three sides of ukraine. they say they have dispersed, meaning they were in a fixed position, and many of them have now moved to an attack position. they say many of them are awake at all hours, ready to go as soon as they get that final order from vladimir putin. and there is little doubt in the pentagon, in the white house, in the intelligence community that vladimir putin will move ahead with an invasion,ing you beyond

those regions that he claimed as independent today. he will move in, they believe into the capital city of kyiv in ukraine. it will probably start with attacks on infrastructure. they've talked about missile attacks into the city and the surrounding areas. i've also been told by officials that this will be a progression. it might be in stages that they move in to one region, then they go into another region. but they believe vladimir putin wants to take all of ukraine. >> our thanks to martha. as tensions escalate, so many people are caught in the middle, including one american family, desperate to get their newly adopted and very sick son out of ukraine. what was it like when you first laid eyes on your baby boy? >> it was tears. just as if you had seen your flesh and blood child born. it was no different there was an immediate bond there. >> reporter: for kelsey and ferran jag by from texas,

adopting their son ruslan from ukraine was a new beginning. >> we knew that he had severe special needs, but we kind of went into it with the mind-set of regardless of what he needs, we felt that he -- he was our son out there waiting for us, and we were drawn to him pretty much as soon as we saw him. >> reporter: but with tensions mounting in the region and russian troops lining the ukrainian border, what was supposed to be a joyous moment quickly turned into a race against time for the young family. >> ruslan's visa was the last one they issued before the embassy as evacuated. >> reporter: with the sick child suffering from cerebral palsy and battling pneumonia, the family says a judge waived the 30-day waiting period required for international adoption. but they say when they got to the airport, border agents wouldn't accept their paperwork. >> we check our bags. we go through security. we get to immigration. their border guards. they take a look at our paperwork. they are telling us that the

30-day waive has not been waived. our paperwork is incorrect. and from there it was just a. mayor. >> reporter: they found themselves in the middle of an international storm, stuck in limbo, and desperate to bring their child home. by this point the whole world is aware there is real tension building in ukraine. >> we were getting phone calls from people saying hey, we're really concerned that something is going to happen now any time now in kyiv. we were starting to get really nervous. we ended up driving monday afternoon to the airport without even having any tickets. >> reporter: their harrowing journey is one of many, painting the picture of a life on the edge in ukraine. the entire world watching and waiting as the fate of the region hangs on vladimir putin's every word. the russian president addressing the nation today on russian television. putin recognized the independence of two pro-russian rebel regions in eastern ukraine, ordering his military to move across the ukraine

border under the guys of peacekeeping. in an hour-long sometimes angry speech, putin even questioned ukraine's legitimacy, accusing its leaders of being a puppet of the western world that's trying to undermine and weaken russia. and after days of false flag operations, the western leaders say are manufacturing, putin telling the russian people it's actually ukraine attacking. it's a warning to ukraine's leader. >> translator: we demand you immediately cease military action, says putin. otherwise all bloodshed will be on your hands. the move could open the way to russia formally annexing the region, which it has de facto controlled for years in any case. president biden for a second day in a row convening an urgent meeting of his national security team. president biden signing an executive order banning trade in those separatist regions, threatening more severe action in the event of an invasion. the european union also

condemning russia's move as a blatant violation of international law, and promising more sanctions. but weeks ago when the family flew from texas to ukraine to adopt their son ruslan, their singular focus was on their growing family. >> so we get there january 31st, and we are ecstatic. we had heard rumbles about the russia situation, but we weren't too worried about it, and it didn't seem like ukrainians were worried about it either. we made the trip from kyiv to his orphanage. we were able to visit with him a few times. >> they were joined by valerie, a registered nurse who works with the american nonprofit organization exodus. >> i started four years ago transporting disabled medically needy children from eastern europe to america for medical care and to be adopted. so for the first few days, we were in one of the eastern regions that is closer to the border. and so already friends and

family are worried about us just because of our geographic location. >> reporter: once ruslan was safely in their care with his visa in hand, the group headed to the airport to fly home before ukrainian border agents questioned their paperwork and sent them back to kyiv. were you nervous? did you think you were going get stuck in ukraine? >> oh yeah. we tried to call every person possible. we had the embassy on speak were them explaining that the paperwork was valid. we had our facilitator team on speakerphone. and they were frustrated because we told them we are not leaving this office until you let us through. i kept pointing to our son saying look at our sick child. he is going to die if you do not let us through. if you make us wait 30 days, he is not going survive. >> reporter: as the days ticked on, the situation on the ground escalated as threats from russia became more imminent. >> the sense of dread and fear was like electric in the air. everything was buzzing.

the city has become alive. the traffic which is always bad in kyiv was stand still. everybody was rushing to the airport. all of the flyings were almost booked solid, and the airport was unlike anything i've ever seen. there was just panic arising. and which didn't help our panic. >> we started hearing the okay, everyone in the ukraine needed to load up on water and weeks' worth of supplies. so we said look, we've got to get out. we were contemplating do we drive, you know? do we take a six-hour train to the western part of the country? do we try to find a way to get into poland? >> at that point, a lot of airlines, the flights were either full, klm, our original flight on saturday was supposed to be with, they quit flying to ukraine. so we were like -- i don't know that we're even going to get a flight out of here. valerie oz on the phone with exodus asking can you find any way for us to get out of here today? and while on the drive to the airport, fighting traffic, turkish airlines. flight with -

>> and as soon as we got through the immigration checkpoint, i went to the bathroom stall and sobbed. that was a huge moment of relief. >> ruslan is now back in san antonio in the hospital icu. his parents by his bedside each day, grateful. >> i love that little boy laying in that hospital bed more today than i have before. and they tell us that there's real hope for him to progress and that his state that he's in right now is not what he's limited to. and we're very excited to see how he can flourish in a home where he is loved and surrounded by people that truly care for him. >> abc's military analyst gagnard joins us now. putin has ordered troops into the areas for what he says is maintaining peace. but do you consider this an invasion?

>> the white house does not consider it an invasion, byron. the white house says if they move past the line of where the rubbles have controlled that part of the donbas, that will be the invasion. we know where that line is. we'll wait and see what happens tomorrow. >> putin's moves today suggest war could be soon. the biden administration saying in the coming hours or days. what do you expect to see as the next moves? >> this may be that mr. putin is trying to pocket some negotiating chips. so we'll see how far he takes this. he could have declared war long ago. let's see what happens with the russian military. do they move into the rebel areas? and then do they take that one step across the line that the white house would consider an act of war. >> and we'll get you out here in this question. ukrainian president zelenskyy said today his country is strong and ready. is that bravado? is putin in for an unexpected fight if war does break out? >> it's both. it is bravado in the sense that this is a ukrainian military.

it's quite weak compared to the russian military. on the other hand, if the russians go into that country, they're going to have a fight like they never imagined. because they're defending their homeland, and it's going to get very ugly, very bloody, and it is not ready to accept. >> thank you, sir. always a pleasure to have you on. thank you so much for your insight. >> thanks, byron. up next, what is life for ukrainians now living in the u.s., waiting and watching events unfold back home. there's a different way to treat hiv. it's every-other-month, injectable cabenuva. for adults who are undetectable, cabenuva is the only complete hiv treatment you can get every other month. cabenuva helps keep me undetectable. it's two injections, given by a healthcare provider every other month. it's one less thing to think about while traveling. hiv pills aren't on my mind. a quick change in my plans is no big deal. don't receive cabenuva if you're allergic

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so many ukrainians now living in the u.s. keep close tabs on their away, but their hearts are close to home, bracing for what comes next. here is "nightline's" ashan singh. >> in manhattan, this video chat with her life-long friend ludmila in ukraine is one of the few ways to still keep her connected. >> reporter: their hometown kyiv on the edge. the prospect of war is a grim reality.

>> reporter: katya emigrated to the u.s. 30 years ago during the collapse of the former soviet union. >> i never went to vote under soviet regime because it was absolutely pointless. but i started voting when ukraine became independent. and so it was so -- it was a great feeling. >> three decades in the u.s. and those memories of soviet rule still seem fresh for katya. as ukrainian independence has come under attack repeatedly since. what do you think when you hear vladimir putin? even when i say that name, i saw you made a face. >> how can i not? i never, ever for one for one minute trusted that guy,

believed him, or anything even close to that. the name of kgb, there is no such thing as former kgb. >> reporter: in november 2013, thousands of nationalist protesters took to the streets in ukraine's meydan revolution, fighting to break free of russian influence. katya organizing and raising money for countrymen from abroad. >> it will be money toward 24/7, the situation there. me and my husband, we were sleeping, we slept in turn just not to lose anything. and those people out there without any weapon wearing this -- whatever they can find useful, like bicycle helmets and holding these wooden shields and wooden swords.

>> reporter: tell me a little bit about belarus and where you're from. >> it's a country in eastern europe. it's run by authoritarian dictatorial regime. >> reporter: the threat of russian invasion is familiar to new york city councilman ari kagan. you've seen this type of geopolitical invasion in your country. do you think vladimir putin stops there? >> of course he doesn't stop. he would prefer to contro again all former republics of the former soviet union, including baltic countries. >> reporter: the belarusian fled the ussr when he was 26, and today is an active part of american democracy, representing the district that covers brighton beach, which is often the first stop for immigrants from the former soviet union entering america. >> it's the same family. you cannot say this is

ukrainians, this is russians, this is belarusians. it's the same people. >> reporter: before he was elected councilman, ari hosted russian language tv show "here in america" where he warned of vladimir putin's insatiable desire to reform the soviet union and to destabilize western democracy. >> here, if you let putin come in and continues, anything goes. he is already here in america. cyber attacks, propaganda machine, agents everywhere. he wants to control the world basically, at this point. >> reporter: with the threat of war looming, katya takes some comfort in knowing her fellow countrymen are standing for long sought ideals -- human rights, freedom, and democracy. what are your biggest fears about how the next few weeks unfold? >> of course losing someone, of course fear of my loved ones to

be harmed or hurt. the biggest fear actually is what kind of world am i leaving for my kid? >> our thanks to ashan. up next, an update on a story we brought you friday. an american refusing to leave ukraine. you are an electric vehicle. electricity powers your heart. want to feel your heart beat faster? ♪ (heart beat music) ♪ drive an electric car. made by a company whose evs have gone five billion miles... for every highway... every driveway... ...and every speedway. and where the loudest sound... ...is the beat of your electric heart. this is the new nissan. ♪ ♪ with age comes more... get more with neutrogena® retinol pro plus.

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and finally tonight, we have an update to the story we brought you friday night about one of the many americans staying in ukraine, despite the growing threat of war. we spoke to kendall tierra, an english teacher who was determined to stay, and hasn't changed her mind about leaving. >> it's 1:00 in the morning. i am still currently, february 22nd, 2022. i just read that putin decided to recognize the separatist states as independent. at this point i have trust in the universe that myself and everyone will be okay. so as of now, i am still deciding to stay in ukraine,

but, again, if things start going bad, it's either poland or spain. >> and that's "nightline" for this evening. catch our full episodes on hulu. we see you right back here same time tomorrow. thanks for the company, america. good night.