President Putin of Russia ordered troops into eastern Ukraine on Monday.
Putin signed a decree mandating a peacekeeping operation in the two territories that are loyal to Moscow. The New York Times reported on the order.
Putin decided to recognise the regions as independent states. The US, UK, and EU promised sanctions after the recognition.
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The activities that Putin had in mind for the troops were not immediately clear.
The war in the Donbas region has been going on for more than three years. Over 12,000 lives have been lost in the conflict.
Russia claimed to have no troops there, despite evidence to the contrary.
The US believes that Putin is following a plan to bring about a full-scale invasion.
There were events in the region on Monday.
Russia earlier that day accused Ukraine of sending troops into its territory via Donetsk, an assertion given without independent evidence that seemed to fulfill US warnings of a false flag campaign to create a pretext for war.
Russia has been building up forces around the country. There are units further along the borders of Ukraine, along its eastern border, to its north, in Russia, and also in occupied Crimea to the south.
As of late February, US officials estimated that as many as 190,000 troops were stationed there.
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