in tanks and troops rolled across the border and a full scale invasion of ukraine dress moments after their president vladimir putin announced on television. he would launch a so called special military operation. that operations prompted a chorus of condemnation and vows to hold the kremlin accountable. but when it comes to defending the nation under attack, nato has made it clear ukraine is on its own. a michael ocho in berlin, and this is the day ah, he's a few months these. the 24th of february is a terrible day for ukraine and a dark day for europe. it is president putin was bringing war back to europe. crises, congressional cut. i'm addressing you, the russian people, as a ukrainian citizen. we are separated by a border stretching more than 2000 kilometers. and right now there are 200000 of

your soldiers there. if this could mark the start of a major war on the european continent. once they thought of is responsible for the will to something out in your print. that is russia, european union, and it's people stand by ukraine and it's people who does. there is no justification for role these the ease putin's wall who chose this war. and now he in this country will bear the consequence to our viewers on p b. s. in the united states and all around the world. welcome there. being called europe's darkest hour since world war 2. amid the course of condemnation and outrage, the historic dimensions of russia's invasion of ukraine are left in no doubt by launching a full scale attack on a sovereign nation. russian president vladimir putin has sent a shockwave to the global medical order, both the u. s. and the e,

you say the world will hold the kremlin accountable for its actions. couldn't is warning that any outside interference in ukraine will lead to consequences. and i'm quoting now, never seen in history. the push to find a diplomatic solution to the stand off was more both frantic and fruitless. in an emergency meeting of the security council un chief antonio gutierrez, urged potent to give peace a chance. instead, the russian leader appeared on television denouncing the ukrainian government as fascist and telling soldiers to lay down their arms and go home. soon after his speech, bomb blast rang out in key f, ukraine's capital the city of car, keep the nation 2nd largest, and come a toss in the east. a look now at how the day unfolded. with dawn came the bombs rush or attacked sites across ukraine.

the russian troops that had been amassing on the border for weeks started rolling in, recorded on surveillance cameras by ukraine's board a police brushes, leda. vladimir putin announced the military operation and a broadcast on russian tv, where he disparaged ukraine's democratically elected government, and asked ukrainian soldiers to surrender humans. ukraine's president of the law to mr. lansky introduced martial law. and he made an emotional plea to russians or his crisis congressional, i'm addressing you, the russian people as a ukrainian citizen, bullied, we are separated by a border stretching more than 2000 kilometers when they and right now there are 200000 of your soldiers. there washer, oh,

come with your leadership has authorized them to move in to the territory of another country. he had a shot and this could mark the start of a major war on the european continents. now you've got a piece come continued black smoke from a ukrainian military airport and chill g f. in the east of the country. russia confirms that they bombed the site. the housing block was hit and distraught residence were left, grieving the 1st casualties in a new war. they did not want to w has a team on the ground in ukraine as we try to monitor this fast moving in volatile situation. correspondent, funny, far shar, spoke to us earlier today from the ukrainian capital, keith, we asked if people there were afraid, as russian troops draw closer. actually, it really depends on who you talk to. and it's really you do see the fee in

people's eyes regardless whether they say that they stay poor and they want to resist with or without arms. but that fear basically results in different reactions as some people left or trying to leave ukraine. they are long, long queues that are forming a both on the highways towards the west, long use forming at gasoline stations, people. they're packing up and food and basic things. at the few mill supermarkets that is still open. he and keith. so they are, people are really panicking and they want to leave, but then the others who are concerned as well, but they say they're not going to take the sovereignty, the freedom, the democracy of the country away. if i have just seen a few hours ago, a young man on his bicycle carrying a ukrainian flag, he was the only man here, the only person here at my don at independence square. and it really was a picture to me that yes, this concerned is fear, but there's also a sense or a bood of, of, of basically not, not heading russia to say what the future of this country is. the ws funny for shar,

earlier in keith, our correspondence will be reporting developments on the ground for as long as they can. you can follow them on twitter 80 w news and track our live updates on d w dot com. ah, this is a deliberate, cold blooded, and long plans innovation, the spice. it's litany of lice denials on this information. the criminal intentions are clear for the world to see. russia's leaders bear full responsibility for their reckless actions on the lives lost. that was nato chief un stolen burg, reacting to the biggest challenge to face the alliance. since the end of the cold war, rushes invasion triggered a flurry of emergency meetings about how to respond at nato, the e u, and even the g 7. nato is now moving reinforcements to the east,

but says it has no plans to send troops into ukraine. the e u is meanwhile promising the harshest sanctions it has ever imposed. here's european commission president ursula funded life. the sanctions will suppress russia's economic growth, increased the barring costs, raise inflation, intensify capital outflow and gradually erode its industrial basis. we want to cut off russia industry from the technologies desperately needed to day to build a future. d, w. brussels corresponded terry shoulds, joins me now. terry, we heard a funny line, promising measures that were destroy rushes economy unprecedented sanctions. how much pain can the you inflict that remains to be seen, micheal, because of course the european union has in the past imposed what it thought were.

very tough sanctions on the russian government, on the russian economy, in an effort to change its behavior before and obviously that hasn't worked as we can see tonight from the way that russia is taking over ukraine. so the european union says, this is an unprecedented package of sanctions that's now been passed and that will be more far reaching than ever before. what ursula under lion has said is that they want to cut off rushes ability to wage war. seems a little bit late for that at this moment, but that's the effort going forward. yeah. terry, let's get real phenomena and sanctions are one thing, but they're likely not going to make a bit of difference over the next 48 hours on the ground. right now it looks to the world that ukraine has to fight its way out of this on its own. so what sort of help can you offer ukraine? it's very difficult to see what help you can offer ukraine at the moment. if you're talking about simply trying to preserve the country sovereignty and its independence, ukraine is in a battle for its life right now. in fact, michael,

i've just come out of an intelligence briefing with a western official that says that we may see the capital of keep falling within, you know, within less than a day. so you know, when you're talking about possible economic assistance development aid, those kinds of things may ring a bit hollow now to ukrainians, really trying to fight to preserve their country. let's take a listen to the german chancellor, all of sholtes earlier tonight. blood rushes, president putin has decided to attack ukraine. militarily. this is an attack on an independent sovereign country and cannot be justified by anything or any one. it's an attempt at shifting borders with violent means, euro, maybe even to eradicate a whole country from the map of the world. terry, the rhetoric we're hearing is astonishing. i mean, the, the idea that russia is trying to eradicate an entire country. you've covered

european affairs for many years. how much of a shock has this been there in brussels? many people will tell you that what is happening right now is not a shock, because we have seen this build up on ukraine's borders now for many months and, and president putin has done it before. so again, this, this intelligence briefing that i just had to said, you know, this is what was predicted he could do. and official said that he may do it so many people are not surprised. i think that it is none the less alarming to everyone. how quickly the russian forces are able to take over ukraine. i'm told that. did you create that? he has to main airports are now under russian control, a military airport and a civilian airport that ukraine has lost control of its air space already. and that we should take a putin at his word when he says he intends to take over the entire country. so

this may have been coming and some people may say that, that you know, that they're not, they're not surprised, but i think everyone will agree that this is a disturbing, well, the russian troops were certainly position for a swift movement. there that's for sure. is there a sense there that the, you and nato overstepped by trying to hard to bring ukraine into the full actually you hear a lot of of the opposite. i'm around a lot of ukrainians, ukrainian journalists who say, you know, if you had given ukraine nato membership, it russia would never have dared to step foot on our territory. they are, you know, quite bitter about the fact that ukraine has been promised eventual membership since 2008, but not given that open door policy. the european union has signed free trade agreements with ukraine. of course that doesn't give you much military assistance

when it comes to russian forces invading your country. so i don't think the ukrainians would have said that the, you and nato overstepped. i think they would say that they under stepped. so in fact, if the you could, if we can have been pulled into nato earlier, that would have been a deterrent to vladimir putin. ukraine's neighbors are now expecting a wave of ukrainian refugees house brussels trying to get ahead of this. that's right. and, and today we did hear ursula vander lyons say that all of the frontline states that could expect to receive refugees from ukraine. the baltic states and poland have been prepared for this. that there is european union assistance going to these countries. and she said something that i think may be welcome to the ukrainian suffering so much at this moment. she said that they are welcome in the you that you is prepared to accept them. she called them refugees, right from the beginning. there's no question that they need a safe place while their country is under attack. so yes,

the european union says that it will help take care of these ukrainians who are fleeing the russian assault. that is a terry shult in brussels. many thanks to her that was the picture here in europe across the atlantic. u. s. president joe biden convened a meeting of his national security council. washington had already slept sanctions on russian banks and oligarchy. now, after the attack, even heavy penalties are on the way. who is the aggressor to chose this war? and now he and his country will bear the consequences. for once we've been building a coalition of partners representing well, more than half the global economy, we will limit russia's ability to do business in dollars euro's pounds and yet to be part of the global economy. let me say it again. our forces are not and will not

be engaged. the conflict with russia in ukraine are forces that are not going to europe to fight in ukraine, but to defend our nato allies and reassure those allies in east that get a reaction from washington. now d, w 's oliver salad is standing by oliver. we've heard biden's response. russia will pay dearly for putin's war how much pain is on the way. well, that is the big question, michael. just how effective those sanctions will be. president biden described them as severe. he laid out how 4 more banks russian banks will be completely blocked off the u. s. financial markets. and overall, those sanctions are rather targeting the financial sector. not so much the energy sector, also swift, that financial system that is needed to, for financial institutions to sent money in and out of russia is not included. there were some reports suggesting that germany in italy might have opposed such

a measure at this point in time. at least also, president putin was not targeted directly. so that led to some very noisy scenes. they are in the white towels with reporters yelling questions at president biden. who on the contrary, made clear that he believes that those sanctions will be effective. he said, russia already feels the consequences describes how the ruble is at a historic low hole stalks in russia are plunging today. and really how in a, in the, in a later time than russia will have very limited access to the financial markets. as well as technology in ports with the ultimate goal to hurt putin's in a circle, the russian economy, and to isolate russia from the western world. well, sanction seemed to be the big stick that the west is wielding biden was crystal clear that the us will not fight

a war in europe. so can the u. s. offer ukraine any help at all, or are they on their own? well yeah, exactly, and that is that the question of course of the effectiveness of sanctions that will be a topic that we'll have to discuss in the next a weeks and months ahead. present bio made clear. there will be no u. s. boots on the ground, of course, ukraine is not a mate, natal member. and, but there will be weapon deliveries the ukraine called for more. and you, as of course, in the past has already delivered weapons. they promised to deliver more. the question though, and if you just remember your interview with our colleague, terry schultz and brussels, who had a who had sources saying that key of might be taken within 24 hours. and of course, that raises the question, what do those weapon deliveries? you know, what do they bring at this point in time? and we have to ask a question and some days was too little done too late. they're really right. you

know, oliver, i suppose it's a gross understatement. to say diplomacy appears no longer an option. it's not lost on some of us that this invasion was launched on the same day. the u. s. secretary of state were scheduled for more talks with his russian counterpart. how will biden and his team reflect on what really happened in the diplomatic lead up to this invasion? and that was really chilling. a michael on really to listen to present by and when he explained how of western leaders, including german chancellor of schultz and french president manuel mccaul hall, they found, followed their diplomatic efforts traveling in and out of the kremlin in order to get to a diplomatic solution while at the same time, president putin was already decided preparing for war. now, the key takeaway of course, is that the notion that diplomacy would always prevail and deterrence, of course, at this failed,

and this is what western leaders are coming to terms with right now. it failed, at least with vladimir putin and the russian president at this point in time. and we might look back at the stay seeing it as a watershed moment for the international order, of course. and so on of these circumstances, president biden made clear that he will not meet with putin so that certainly a really difficult time in russian u. s. relations. on the contrary, both countries also have expelled their deputy ambassadors. and so the situation here in the diplomacy between russia and the u. s. will certainly not improve before russia stops his attacks. d w's, oliver salad in washington. many thanks. as always, oliver ah! we're joined now by lieutenant general. ben hodges retired us army officer. and the former commander of us forces in europe. welcome to the day sir. you are a veteran of the iraq war,

the war in afghanistan. did you ever expect to see war return to europe in this way? well, i am a realist and we've been watching for russia now. for several years. they invaded georgia in 2008, and we, the west did nothing. they invaded ukraine in 2014, and we really did not do anything consequential. and so what's happening now is the continuation of this, this is awful for the innocent people and ukraine. ok, but it's a reality we're in now. you can almost say that those earlier invasions were test runs. i mean, this is a big one. considering the movements of russia is military, their target so far? is it possible to see pollutants, a game plan and perhaps is and game here? well, i think it's clear that what he intends is to bring about a collapse of ukrainian government. started off with going. busy after their

economy to isolate ukraine from the black sea and see of as of the strangulation by having so many forces on. busy the border already weeks ago, the cranes economy was beginning to suffer. but what he wants is to bring about the collapse of the government and get his own guy into indicate somebody that either is pro moscow or at least will be willing to make decisions. i'm sure that's, that's a critical part of it. but also, i think miller is a part of this too. i think we're seeing the next step towards the formal creation of union state where bella, luce is absorbed into russia. you know, we, we know russia has far superior forces over ukraine. but does russia have the capability to not only invade but also hold this vast country of some $40000000.00 plus people? that's a great question. certainly the russian federation forces have significant

advantage at sea and in the air, not so much and the ground forces. so this is a different, including an army than what i 1st met the russians back in 2014 here. it, of course, it's a little early given to be drawing big conclusions. but there have been quite a few very tough shark fights around ukraine. where you cranium forces have defeated russian forces a couple of critical air fields and places that were lost earlier in the day have already been recaptured by ukrainian forces. so i can't quite tell yet with certainty where the russian main effort is or how, or where it's going next. but i'm still on. i still think the russians are leery of getting too many casualties, which they are going to be suffering, or that they really do intend to go all the way to key. i mean, he was a huge city,

3 and a half a 1000000 people and the idea that in the next 24 hours, they and circle and capture this entire city. i don't think that's necessarily going to be the case extraordinary. if they did, what do you imagine ukraine's resistance to look like? and i one, even, even as i ask whether it's premature to do so. well, i think you are ukranian friends started late in the process of mobilizing church or sources training. but nonetheless, i think that there is a real determination among the ukrainian citizenry. i've started notes and in a few months ago, and then talking with crane friends here in the last several weeks. this is, this is something they're serious about. i anticipate that they will resist for a long time. i'm sure that the rush, the kremlin, does not want to have over 100000 or soldiers in some sort of garrison capacity

around ukraine in your right. i mean, this is a country that is twice the area and size of germany and with a population of 40000000 people. this is not insignificant. right? there was condemnation and sanctions after russia and next crimea in 2014, put in just seem to brush it off. now more of the same has the international community seated ukraine to russia or will this be different somehow? i absolutely do not believe that the national community has seated ukraine to russia. for sure, we were all slow in taking the steps that needed to be taken. i am very proud of the diplomatic effort by the united states here over the past several months. probably the best, most comprehensive diplomatic ever i've seen by the or any american administration

since 1995 the visa court. and i'm also proud of the fact that germany is stepping up. i much firmer german resolve here of late than maybe a few months ago. this is late to be to be fair, but nonetheless, it's definitely better the sanctions. so the problem with sanctions is that they typically take a very long time for the effect to really be felt and people like food. and of course, they will have been protecting themselves for years and anticipation of this i think the sanction, or part of it the we've got to figure out when to help keep ukraine in the fight and get the russians worrying about something else, such as turkey, shutting down the straits, the russian navy transit, i think that would get their attention just a quick last question for you general is a cold war. returning to europe with the iron curtain. a few 100 kilometers just

further east. well, i mean, this is, this looks like a very hot water to me. again, you can't, we can't think about war the way we did back in the forty's, fifties, and sixties, with russia. they are always at war. and i know that people don't want to hear this it's unpleasant to talk about. but i mean, let's take a look at what's been going on since who has been in the they use poison all their own opposition and then chase down an opponent and murder him and the tier guard this is or you're dealing with 10 in general, we're going to have to keep right there. that's a ben hodges many. thanks, sir. thank you. that was the day as ever. the conversation continues online. you'll find us on twitter d. w. news. thanks for watching. with

with to the point. strong opinions, clear positions, international perspective. russia has launched a full scale attack on you crate. the assault was ordered by v mapleton, ukrainian president, ultimate lensky says posey wants to wipe you crane off the map. is the west power loss against hooton's expansionism? find out on to the point shortly. with tragic.

ah, they've had it for decades. the people of iraq, their country is devastated and there's no way to defy. how did he come to this? key witnesses reveal unprecedented story. they were freeze of the you as they knew what the consequences these sanctions are. and they've lied to the war about a ca, manichean, let's say, is it that someone could kill his friends and as a fee a through easily was a he behaved exactly. lights have domicile

and the poison spread. bedrooms ah lush, my 0 misery in the great documentary series destruction of a nation starts march 4th on d. w. the world looks on as russian president vladimir putin launch his a full scale attack on ukraine. and now it's becoming clear that he intends to use his country's military might in a bit to rewrite european history. the west, meanwhile, has been imposing what have been described as the toughest sanctions ever but potent is clearly not impressed. so is it time for europe's democracies to face up to some new and uncomfortable truths, and perhaps fight for the future? on to the point we ask ukraine under attack is europe powerless.