On the evening of 21 February, Russian President Vladimir Putin recognised the independence of Donetsk and Lugansk in Ukraine and asked the Russian army to "maintain peace" in the two pro-Russian separatist regions. A few hours later, a column of armoured vehicles arrived on the outskirts of a town near Donetsk. But the military pressure stretches even further: in the north-east of Ukraine and in Belarus, the Russian army continues to build up troops, moving closer and closer to the border.