The move by Russian President Vladimir Putin to recognize two breakaway regions of Ukraine and subsequent movement of armed personnel and weapons in those areas threw the world’s markets into a state of a tizzy. Witnesses reported seeing columns of military vehicles, including tanks, around Donetsk, the capital of one of the two regions recognized by Putin, according to Reuters. The Russian president has ordered “peacekeepers” to the areas, while his announcements have earned international condemnation and immediate sanctions from the United States that halted U.S. business activity in the breakaway regions coupled with the import of goods, according to a Reuters report. The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said after a Security Council meeting that the U.S. will impose sanctions on Russia on Tuesday for “this clear violation of international law and Ukraine sovereignty and territorial integrity,” reported Reuters. Markets in Asia, India, and the U.S. slumped. Oil and gold are up, with oil at a near seven-year high. At press time, the global cryptocurrency market cap decreased 7% to $1.65 trillion.
