On Feb. 23, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an invasion of Ukraine by Russian Armed Forces that were once idle along Ukraine’s border.

After initiating a false flag operation, strategically recognizing the sovereignty of the Luhansk and Donetsk Peoples’ Republics and ordering troops to breakaway these separatist regions, Putin extinguished any hope or opportunity for peace and diplomatic resolution to the tensions between the Russian Federation and Ukraine.

In announcing the commencement of a “special military operation,” described as an effort to protect “people who, during eight years, suffered from abuse and genocide from the Kyiv regime,” Putin pledged to “strive for the demilitarization and de-Nazification of Ukraine, as well as bringing to justice those who committed numerous bloody crimes against civilians.” Putin also has described Ukraine’s leaders as “terrorists” and a “band of drug-addicts and neo-Nazis.”

There is no evidence of ongoing genocide within Ukraine or of the prevalence of Nazism within Ukrainian government or politics, especially considering the Jewish faith of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Putin is brandishing these bold and radical claims as an irrational justification of his invasion of Ukraine to the Russian population.

Prior to the  attack, Zelensky made an appeal to the citizens of Russia, saying, “there are over 2,000 kilometers of common border between us. Your army is along that border now; almost 200,000 soldiers, thousands of military vehicles. Your leadership approved for them to take a step further to the territory of another country. This step can become the beginning of a great war with the European continent… Many of you have been to Ukraine. Many of you have relatives in Ukraine. Some people studied in Ukrainian universities. You know Ukraine. You know our character, our principles, what matters to us. Listen to yourselves. Listen to the voice of reason… We don’t need a war. We won’t attack, but defend ourselves. And you will see our faces, not our spines, but our faces.”

In response to Putin’s Feb. 21 decree and the Russian incursion of Ukraine, the U.S., western and European allies, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Taiwan and various international organizations announced extensive and devastating sanctions to be imposed on Russia. The series of sanctions target banks, military exports and oil refineries.

The U.S. Department of Treasury announced they are sanctioning two of Russia’s largest and state-backed banks, Sberbank and VTB Bank. These sanctions include other prominent banks, including Otkritie, Sovcombank and Novikombank, as well as various banking executives. The sanctioning of these banks and executives effectively isolates Russia from the U.S. financial system. Aside from the banking industry, the U.S. is also targeting sanctions against the Russian Defence Ministry.

U.S. sanctions are also targeting one of Russia’s strongest allies, Belarus, sanctioning state-owned banks, defense firms and prominent individuals associated with the regime.

As for the EU, the international organization froze the European assets of Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, along with a slew of Russian elites associated with the regime. However, as this move is seen as largely symbolic, the EU has refused to curb Russian energy imports. This is likely due to the continent’s growing dependence on Russian energy and gas.

Zelensky has urged the EU to impose tougher sanctions to increase pressure on Russia. International organizations and world leaders are expected to continue imposing greater sanctions on the federation should the conflict escalate and the invasion continue.

Most countries have followed suit, sanctioning Russian banks, elites and large portions of their various export industries.

Amidst their sanctions, the United States has also severed the access certain Russian banks have to SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication), a system that facilitates financial transactions and transfers for banks located throughout the globe.

The system is administered by the National Bank of Belgium, which enables transactions between over 11,000 financial institutions in more than 200 countries. Losing access to SWIFT would essentially cut off Russia from most international business transactions. In particular, Russia could not secure its international sales profits from their production of oil and gas, which make up more than 40% of the nation’s revenue. This is, however, widely considered to be the economic “nuclear option,” with some Russian foreign ministers equating the action to a “declaration of war,” and others believing the move could backfire.

While touting the strength and immensity of the current sanctions being imposed on Russia, Biden said that removing Russia from SWIFT is “always an option” but noted that it is “not the position that the rest of Europe wishes to take.”

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that Germany would halt the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, a significant oil, energy and natural gas transporter between Russia and Germany that runs through the Baltic Sea. In addition, Germany has agreed to supply weapons to Ukrainian forces.

“The Russian attack marks a turning point. It is our duty to do our best to help Ukraine defend against the invading army of Putin. That’s why we’re supplying 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 stinger missiles to our friends in Ukraine,” Scholz tweeted.

In addition to sanctions, Biden announced that he would be sending 7,000 American troops to Germany in an effort to strengthen the defense of Europe and frontline NATO states.

As for Ukraine, Zelensky responded by declaring martial law, which prohibits men aged 18-60 from exiting the country, granting citizens the right to bear arms, decreeing full military mobilization and calling upon NATO for defense support.

As U.S. intelligence anticipated, the invasion began with aerial warfare and targeted missile strikes on Ukrainian military installations, followed by the advance of Russian tanks and troops into the country from the north, east and south.

Attacks have been reported in numerous major cities throughout Ukraine, including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odessa, Zaporizhzhia, Kramatorsk, Kalinovka and Mariupol. According to Ret. U.S. Air Force Colonel and former member of the Pentagon’s Joint Chiefs of Staff Cedric Leighton, an attack on Odessa, a Ukrainian city located on the country’s southern border, indicates that there is likely a Russian sea-borne missile strike effort being conducted from the Black Sea.

It is believed that Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, is a major target of the Russian incursion effort, evident through the Russian Armed Forces’ convergence onto the city from the southern border of Belarus, a strong ally to the Russian Federation with only 140 miles and a newly paved highway between them. Russian troops have advanced onto the cities of Kharkiv, Sumy and Chernihiv from the north, Luhansk and Donetsk from the east, and Kherson, Maruipol and Odessa from the south, with fighting reported in each region.

The Russian advance into Luhansk and Donetsk has been significantly aided by Russian-backed separatists within the region. On Thursday, Ukrainian officials reported that Russian troops had landed at the ports of Odessa and Maruipol, which they have used to deploy military personnel, battle tanks and armored vehicles.

As Russian troops have advanced into the suburbs and surrounding areas of Kyiv, capturing and occupying Chernobyl to the north and Gostomel Airport to the west, it is believed that Russia is in control of significant parts of Ukrainian territory with Ukrainian forces remaining concentrated to the east within the Luhansk/Donetsk region. Despite significant territorial gains, however, U.S. intelligence suggests that Russia is being met with greater resistance than originally anticipated.

Following the eruption of conflict, scores of anti-war protests and demonstrations erupted throughout Russia’s major cities which were met with mass arrests.

With combat erupting within Kyiv, Zelensky remains in the nation’s capital. Ukraine’s president, alongside his top officials, released a video in an effort to assure the Ukrainian people of his commitment to defend Ukraine and remain in Kyiv, saying, “The president is here. We are all here. Our soldiers are here. The citizens are here and we are here. We will defend our independence. That’s how it will go. Glory to our defenders, both male and female. Glory to Ukraine!” When offered by the U.S. government to evacuate Kyiv, Zelensky declined, responding, “The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride.”

This incredible act of bravery and display of patriotism is perhaps emblematic of the fight for Ukraine and what is expected to become a stringent, ongoing resistance to Russian oppression.

As of Feb. 28, Ukrainian and Russian officials met near the Belarusian/Ukrainian border, with a focus on establishing a ceasefire and putting an end to the growing conflict amid the Russian assault on Ukraine. The meeting came following the Russian bombardment of residential areas in Kharkiv. While a sign of progress, no breakthroughs occurred in the first round of talks between the two warring nations.

As of Sunday, Feb. 27, Ukraine’s health ministry has reported that 352 civilians, including 14 children, have died since the beginning of the Russian invasion, with an additional 1,684 wounded. While Moscow is not releasing data on casualties, the Ukrainian military estimates that at least 4,500 Russian troops have been killed. In acknowledging that Russian forces have incurred casualties, they claimed Ukrainian forces had suffered greater figures.

This particular conflict significantly contrasts with those of the past. In an age of seemingly omnipresent social media activity, overwhelming media coverage and extensive internet and digital globalization, virtually nothing can be done covertly. The widely circulated photos and videos captured by civilians depicting cruise missiles striking apartment buildings, armored vehicles bulldozing civilian traffic, the crackling of nearby gunfire and the skirmishes of fighter jets directly above residential homes casts a single yet profound message; the world is watching.