P114 AERTEL 1 114 Wed 23 Feb 08:42:07  1/4  PUTIN ORDERS TROOPS TO  UKRAINE ————————————— 22 Feb 2022 22:41 NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg has said that Russian forces continue to prepare for a potential attack on Ukraine after Moscow recognised two separatist regions as independent. He spoke as the West took more measures to try to discourage Russian from going on the offensive in Ukraine, with Germany putting the brakes on a new gas pipeline and Britain hitting Russian banks with sanctions. "Every indication is that Russia continues to plan for a full-scale attack on Ukraine," Mr Stoltenberg said after an urgent meeting with Ukraine's envoy. s TV LISTINGS TRAVEL RTE1 500 Next Weather Sport Headlines

P114 AERTEL 1 114 Wed 23 Feb 08:42:28  2/4  PUTIN ORDERS TROOPS TO  UKRAINE ————————————— 22 Feb 2022 22:41 "We see that more and more of the forces are moving out of the camps and are in combat formations and ready to strike." Mr Stoltenberg said "further Russian troops" had already moved across the Ukrainian border overnight into the Kremlin-backed territories. s TV LISTINGS TRAVEL RTE1 500 Next Weather Sport Headlines

P114 AERTEL 1 114 Wed 23 Feb 08:41:26  3/4  PUTIN ORDERS TROOPS TO  UKRAINE ————————————— 22 Feb 2022 22:41 Russia's parliament approved treaties with the two regions a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was recognising the independence of the two enclaves in eastern Ukraine, which adjoin Russia and have been controlled by Russian-backed fighters since 2014. Mr Putin said the territory covered the entire Donetsk and Luhansk regions of eastern Ukraine, not merely the parts currently controlled by separatists. The move appeared to increase the likelihood of conflict. s TV LISTINGS TRAVEL RTE1 500 Next Weather Sport Headlines

P114 AERTEL 1 114 Wed 23 Feb 08:41:46  4/4  PUTIN ORDERS TROOPS TO  UKRAINE ————————————— 22 Feb 2022 22:41 He also signed a decree on deploying Russian forces there, and today Russia's upper house of parliament formally granted his request to use troops abroad with immediate effect. "What we see is further invasion of a country which was already invaded," Mr Stoltenberg said. Moscow seized the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine in 2014 and has fuelled a separatist conflict in eastern areas for eight years that has killed over 14,000 people. s TV LISTINGS TRAVEL RTE1 500 Next Weather Sport Headlines