“The threat of renewed war in Ukraine, lingering for weeks, escalated Saturday as shelling and military preparations by Russia-backed separatists picked up in the country’s contested east,” the Washington Post reports.

“Russia has been accused time and again of secretly carrying out acts that it blamed on others to justify previous military action in Chechnya, Georgia and Ukraine.”

“Russia Saturday test-launched ballistic and cruise missiles in what it described as strategic deterrence exercises, a pointed reminder of its ability to wage nuclear war amid a standoff with the West over Ukraine,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

Fiona Hill: “I think they’re handling it as well as they can be, given the circumstances. Writ large, what the administration is doing right now is certainly what I would recommend doing. But I don’t know whether we can say if it’s going to work or not. The real test is going to be over a long period of time. I don’t think this is going to be a short, sharp crisis.”

“Putin’s been trying to get a grip on Ukraine for years now. They cut off the gas to Ukraine in 2006. He’s been in power for 22 years, and the whole of that time, he’s had Ukraine in the cross hairs one way or another, and it’s intensified over time. Putin wants to be the person who, on his watch, in his presidency, pulls Ukraine back into Russia’s orbit. And he could be president until 2036, in terms of what’s possible for him.”

“Vice President Kamala Harris warned in a speech that the U.S. would impose severe economic sanctions on Russia if it invades Ukraine as she sought to highlight the resolve of Western powers in seeking to avert a major conflict,” the Los Angeles Times reports.

Said Harris: “Let me be clear, I can say with absolute certainty if Russia further invades Ukraine the United States, together with our allies and partners, will impose significant and unprecedented economic costs.”

“Police arrested scores of demonstrators and towed away vehicles Friday in Canada’s besieged capital, and a stream of trucks started leaving under the pressure, raising authorities’ hopes for an end to the three-week protest against the country’s Covid-19 restrictions,” the AP reports.

“By evening, at least 100 people had been arrested, mostly on mischief charges, and nearly two dozen vehicles had been towed, including all of those blocking one of the city’s major streets, authorities said. One officer had a minor injury, but no protesters were hurt.”

“Separatist leaders in eastern Ukraine ordered a full military mobilization Saturday amid a spike of violence in the war-torn region and fears in the West that Russia might use the strife as a pretext for an invasion,” the AP reports.

“President Biden held another round of urgent talks with European leaders on Friday afternoon as the United States and its allies continued to warn that Russia was poised to invade Ukraine and trigger the largest conflict on the continent since World War II,” the New York Times reports.

Said Biden: “We have reason to believe the Russian forces are planning and intend to attack Ukraine in the coming week, the coming days. We believe that they will target Ukraine’s capital Kyiv.”

Washington Post: “The remarks amounted to some of the most specific and definitive comments Biden has used to describe his interpretation of Russia’s intentions.”