After weeks of mounting tension, and growing fears that a war in Europe was imminent, Russia’s president Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation” against the Ukraine. The rest of the world was in no doubt: Russia’s invasion of its western neighbour had begun.

How did it come to this? Olivia Durand sets out how Putin has been softening up the world for this moment for years. In 2014 he wrote: “Kiev is the mother of Russian cities.” A few days later Russia completed the annexation of Crimea. Eight years later he has returned to this theme – backed by the might of Russia’s armed forces. Days before the invasion he delivered an hour-long speech in which he made clear his desire to create a third imperial regime. The invasion of Ukraine is part of this masterplan.

In addition to troops on the ground, Moscow has been launching cyber attacks to undermine Ukraine’s defence capabilities. Mamoun Alazab explains.

A war in eastern Europe may feel distant to many in the world. But the ripple effects are already starting to be felt. As Wandile Sihlobo warns, African leaders in particular should pay attention because Russia and Ukraine are deeply embedded in the world’s agricultural and food markets. The conflict has already fed through into a spike in commodity prices. African countries are going to be hit hard. In 2020 African countries imported agricultural products worth US$4 billion from Russia – most of it wheat. The major importing countries were Egypt, followed by Sudan, Nigeria, Tanzania, Algeria, Kenya and South Africa.

From the US, William Hauk issues a similar warning: the war may feel very distant, but, there will be an economic cost that Americans will be forced to pay.