Ukraine: Uni of Herts expert says it "wouldn't be surprising" if Russia invades whole country
Vladimir Putin ordered a military attack on Ukraine overnight
Last updated 24th Feb 2022
A political expert from the University of Hertfordshire tells us it "wouldn't be surprising" if Putin attempts to invade the whole of Ukraine
The world is in shock after Russian troops launched a wide-ranging attack on the country last night.
The Kremlin has used unfounded claims of 'protecting people' from 'bullying and genocide' in the east of the country to justify the attack.
Earlier today our reporter Henry Winter spoke with Dr Elisa Randazzo, a lecturer in Politics and International Relations at the University of Hertfordshire.
Dr Randazzo said: "I think for everyone else watching in Europe, particularly Eastern Europe, this is a very concerning time."
"If you look at what has come out of Putin's speeches, and particularly what has been on Russian media, it seems that there's an assumption that the entirety of Ukraine's territorial claim is put in question.
"It wouldn't be surprising if it if he did indeed go beyond the existing eastern enclaves."
Boris Johnson has promised to hit Russia with a package of sanctions designed to "hobble the Russian economy".
But Dr Randazzo tells us it's not clear whether that will work.
"The effects of sanctions isn't going to be clear for some time to come, and this of course also depends on how extensively the sanctions do target institutions and organizations and individuals close to the regime.
"When we target the economics side of things, we also have to contend with the impact that's going to have on on the West.
"The economy is so interconnected that anything that is done to them will eventually have some sort of blowback in the West as well."