Russian forces invaded Kyiv, Ukraine February 24, 2022. The military strike, which at press time has resulted in at least 40 civilian deaths, has been met with outrage, dismay, and economic sanctions against the Russian government from world leaders.

"Russia alone is responsible for the death and destruction this attack will bring, and the United States and its Allies and partners will respond in a united and decisive way," said President Biden in a press statement directly after the attack. "The world will hold Russia accountable."

According to Ukrainian Presidential Adviser Mykhailo Podolyak, in addition to the invasion of Kyiv, Russian forces have captured Chernobyl. The Ukrainian military reported that ballistic missiles were launched from Belarus into Ukraine as ground troops were deployed from Crimea. Ukrainians saw waves of denial-of-service and malware cyberattacks in tandem with the Russian incursion.

"Innumerable missiles and bombs have been raining down on an entirely innocent population," said British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in a statement to UK citizens. "A vast invasion is underway by land, by sea, by air." Johnson called for a "massive package of economic sanctions designed in time to hobble the Russian economy" and stated that the UK was one of the first to send weapons to the Ukrainian people. "Our mission is clear," said the Prime Minister. "Diplomatically, politically, economically — and, eventually, militarily — this hideous and barbaric venture of Vladimir Putin must end in failure."

In the hours before the invasion, Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine's President, revealed that he had made attempts to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin and was met with "silence." Addressing the Russian people directly, Zelensky said, "You are told that this flame will liberate the people of Ukraine, but the Ukrainian people are free."

Many notable American conservatives, including Donald Trump, have lauded Putin's tactics. In an interview with The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show, Trump called the invasion "genius." �"I said, 'This is genius.' Putin declares a big portion of the Ukraine — of Ukraine — Putin declares it as independent. Oh, that's wonderful. So, Putin is now saying it's independent, a large section of Ukraine. I said, 'How smart is that?' And he's going to go in and be a peacekeeper."

Other right-wing proponents of Russia include former Breitbart editor and Trump adviser Steve Bannon, who, in an interview on conservative talk show The War Room, said we should support Russia because, "Putin ain't woke. Putin's anti-woke." and "They don't have the flags. They don't have the Pride flags..."

Several prominent conservatives attending CPAC in Orlando expressed anti-Russian sentiment while also criticizing the actions of President Biden. K.T. McFarland, Trump's former deputy national security advisor, said of Biden, "We have national leadership that I think at a certain point is criminally incompetent."

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell also made a statement regarding the actions of the president. "The president should have exercised his extensive authorities to impose certain tough sanctions early enough to actually deter invasion and weaken Russia," he argued.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, however, made sure to emphasize that the latest sanctions were "sweeping and catastrophic," and will "continue to impose costs on Russia that will leave it weakened in every way."

Overseas, allies are taking action. "Russia's actions pose a serious threat to Euro-Atlantic security, and they will have geostrategic consequences," said NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. "We are deploying additional defensive land and air forces to the eastern part of the alliance, as well as additional maritime assets."

The EU announced that 500 soldiers from its reserve forces are to be deployed over the next two weeks to reinforce its 600 troops already stationed in Ukraine. The EU also announced the intervention of newly-formed Cyber Rapid Response Team led by the Lithuanian Ministry of National Defense "to help Ukrainian institutions to cope with growing cyber-threats."

The United Nations allocated $20 million (USD) from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) for humanitarian assistance to Ukraine. The fund is intended to support emergency operations in the eastern oblasts of Donetska and Luhanska, according to a UN press release. "The allocation will also support the prevention of gender-based violence and other protection-related services, as well as education, logistics and telecommunications," read the release.

The Pentagon deployed 7,000 more troops to Europe as the fighting continued. "It's our assessment that [Russian forces] have every intention of basically, decapitating the government and installing their own method of governance," a Pentagon official said, according to a report by the US Department of Defense.

President Biden held a press conference to announce the intent of the US going forward. The plan includes "severe" economic sanctions on Russia. "Putin is the aggressor," he told the assembly. "Putin chose this war, and now he and his country will bear the consequences."