The Ukraine invasion

The Russian war against Ukraine is intensifying. On Monday, Russian rockets hit a neighborhood in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, where it was reported that many civilians were killed. The invasion, though, appears to be going slower than President Putin anticipated as it faces strong Ukrainian resistance.

The ceasefire talks between Ukraine and Russian officials in Belarus ended yesterday without an agreement — except to talk again. And the severe economic sanctions levied against Russia by the U.S. and other nations have not yet deterred Putin from his goal of capturing Kyiv.

This hour, we look at how the invasion is unfolding, Ukraine’s resistance to Russia’s military forces,  the impact of the sanctions Moscow and its oligarchs, and how to stop Putin’s war.

Guests

Olena Mishchuk, a local Ukrainian activist with family in Ukraine and an assistant professor of biology at Temple University.

Alexandra Vacroux, executive director of the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University. @DCRES_Harvard

James Goldgeier, visiting scholar at the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. @jimgoldgeier

Recommended reading

WHYY, Ukrainians in Philadelphia rally to show support and condemn the Russian invasion -“We want them in Ukraine to see that we are standing, that we are speaking for them, that we are demonstrating for them. That’s what they want,” Mazurkevich said. “And then we’re going to go to Washington and demand more.”

The New York Times, After a Fumbled Start, Russian Forces Hit Harder in Ukraine – “after five days of war, what appears to be unfolding is a Russian miscalculation about their own tactics and about how hard the Ukrainians would fight.”

Politico, The West finally throws a punch in its face-off with Russia – A rash of weekend moves on sanctions, airspace, military aid and more showed that the United States and its allies aren’t afraid to escalate when it comes to helping Ukraine.