KYIV, Ukraine (AP) - Vladimir Putin put his nuclear forces on increased alert on Sunday in an unprecedented escalation of tension with the West over Russia’s massive conventional assault of Ukraine, which entered its fourth day with fighting in the streets of the country’s second-largest city.Here are the things to know about the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the security crisis in Eastern Europe:MOSCOW, RUSSIA - FEBRUARY 24, 2022: Russia's President Vladimir Putin is seen during a meeting with members of Russian business community in the Moscow Kremlin.
Alexei Nikolsky/Russian Presidential Press and Information Office/TASS (Photo by Alexei N In a shocking move that immediately unearthed fears many thought permanently buried from the Cold War of the previous century, Putin ordered Russian nuclear weapons prepared for increased readiness to launch, ratcheting up tensions with Europe and the United States over the conflict that is dangerously poised to expand beyond the former frontiers of the defunct U.S.S.R.The Russian president told his defense minister and the chief of the military’s General Staff to put the nuclear deterrent forces in "special regime of combat duty."He said that leading NATO powers had made "aggressive statements" toward Russia in addition to stiff economic sanctions and cutting leading Russian banks from the SWIFT banking system.RELATED: Who is the 'Ghost of Kyiv'?
Tale of Ukrainian fighter pilot trends on social mediaAfter rejecting Putin’s offer to meet in the Belarusian city of Homel on the grounds that their common neighbor was facilitating the Russia assault, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed to send a Ukrainian delegation to meet with Russian counterparts at an unspecified time.