A new day brings a new twist in the Ukraine crisis… Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to recognise the 2 regions of eastern Ukraine held by Russian-backed separatists as independent. The Donetsk and Luhansk regions are on Russia’s border, and we talked yesterday about the increasing violence in those areas. Moscow and the separatist rebels claim Ukraine is planning an assault to retake the areas – a claim Ukraine rejects. Analysts say if Putin decides to recognise those regions today, it’s almost certain that Russian troops will go over the border shortly after that on the pretext of protecting the citizens of those regions. That scenario fits what Western governments have anticipated – that Putin would fabricate a reason to invade Ukraine. The US says Russia has massed a force of up to 190,000 troops in the region, including those pro-Russian rebels. Despite all that, Russia continues to deny it’s getting ready to attack its neighbour.