WTF Just Happened Today

Wednesday, February 23, 2022

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1/ The Pentagon said 80% of the 190,000 Russian troops near Ukraine are now in combat-ready positions, suggesting that an invasion is most likely imminent. “They are literally ready to go now,” a senior defense official said. “It is our assessment that [Putin] is fully prepared to conduct a large-scale invasion,” adding: “That is a likely option.” The Ukrainian government, meanwhile, said it received intelligence that a Russian military offensive, including an attack on the capital, Kyiv, could come as soon as Wednesday night. Ukraine’s parliament voted to declare a state of emergency, and government leaders urged Ukrainian citizens to leave Russia immediately. (New York Times / Washington Post / NBC News / Wall Street Journal)

2/ Biden said he would issue economic sanctions on the company building the gas pipeline connecting Russia to Germany. The move comes a day after Germany froze certification of the Kremlin-backed Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “These steps are another piece of our initial tranche of sanctions in response to Russia’s actions in Ukraine. As I have made clear, we will not hesitate to take further steps if Russia continues to escalate,” Biden said in a statement. The move also reverses Biden’s decision last year to waive sanctions against Nord Stream 2 AG, the company that built the $11 billion natural gas pipeline. (CNN / Politico / Axios / Bloomberg / New York Times)

• To no one’s surprise, Trump praised Putin’s “genius” decision to declare two regions in Ukraine as independent states and then move Russian armed forces to them. Trump told a conservative podcaster in an interview that Putin had made a “very savvy,” “smart move” Trump added: “We could use that on our southern border.” (The Guardian / NBC News / Washington Post)

3/ Two prosecutors leading the Manhattan District Attorney’s criminal probe into Trump and his business resigned from their positions. The resignation of Carey Dunne and Mark Pomerantz came following a monthlong pause in the presentation of evidence to a grand jury. The Manhattan district attorney’s office also changed hands in January, after the previous DA, Cyrus Vance, opted to not seek re-election. Vance was succeeded by Alvin Bragg, who reportedly has expressed doubts about moving forward with a case against Trump. The grand jury’s term expires in April. Separately, Trump’s longtime finance chief, Allen Weisselberg, asked a judge to throw out tax fraud charges against him, arguing that New York prosecutors targeted him as punishment because he wouldn’t flip on Trump. (