Bob in Spain wrote:

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Very worrying news to wake up to this morning. Putin's steady assault on the West has been going on for years - some of it covertly such as trying to influence elections and cyber warfare, to more overt attacks such as the annexation of Crimea.

But overnight his attacks have taken a huge step up in level and there are going to be some very tough decisions ato be made by his opponents.  Clearly the sanctions imposed by the UK and others have not had any effect ad he is carrying on regardless. I did think the UK's sanctions were weak, but in truth, a much harsher set of sanctions would probably not have had any more impact at this time and I do understand the need to keep a few aces up the sleeve.

Are we heading for more widespread armed conflict ?  Is Putin going to stop in the separatist areas or will he go on to Kyiv ?  His rhetoric about stamping out 'the fascists controlling Ukraine' and the comparisons to WW2 and how the Nazis should have been stamped out much earlier, suggest the latter.

Then you have to ask about the other Baltic states - Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.  Are they next ?  Perhaps not immediately, but Putin has been patient in his attempts to invade Ukraine and so the other states may well be in danger in the coming years.  The fact that they are part of NATO may dissuade him, but he seems hell bent on recreating the USSR.

There are dark days ahead as many have said, and I really don't see any easy solutions for the West or NATO.

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 The irony here is Putin calling others fascist. I mean, come on, Putin is probably the worlds leading fascist right now, as was always pointed out there is a thin line politically between fascism and communism and it was always just a little step over the line.

Dark days indeed - how the West reacts now will determine what happens in the Baltic states you mention. But we also need to be careful not to escalate things - I am not sure Boris summoning his inner Churchill right now is something we need, he needs to be skilful and tactful, as do the other leaders to ensure this doesnt become something much more dangerous to us all in our warm, cozy homes 

Peter too wrote:

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Should we consider a sporting ban on Russia and/or on Russians. We could boycott Russian tournaments. We could ban Russian players from international competition. It would be a fairly painless way of adding pressure on Russia and show the Russian people that, despite what Putin might tell them, the world does not approve of the actions by Putin.

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 Well, the Champions League final has been moved this am to Paris; and the Russian place in the WOrld Cup qualifiers, where they are due to play Poland at home, is now being discussed. Either venue moving or them being kicked out?

ATP chose not to do anything to China re Peng situation , neither did IOC (who are also toothless on drugs where Russia get to compete , being called Russian Olympic Ctte instead of under their flag. My feeling is tennis and athletics and the like will most likely turn a blind eye. Our number one is now a Russian, so self interest will prevail