According to several sources, including the White House, war has broken out in Ukraine. Russia’s advancement into Ukraine on the orders of President Vladimir Putin is unwelcome by all, except perhaps by the Russians, but there is a lot more behind this conflict than meets the eye.
Motivation
According to NBC News, Putin’s goals are laughably simple. In the Kremlin’s eyes, and the President’s especially, Ukraine is just a “little Russia”, and since they’re essentially the same, they should be the same body.
Since Ukraine currently serves as a buffer between Russia and NATO, and Ukraine wants to become a member of NATO, Russia feels threatened by having such close proximity to its opponents on the world stage. This likely serves as another motivation for their incursion.
UPDATE: In fact, according to the Kyiv Independent, the Kremlin has cited this as a motivation for their “special military operation” in Ukraine, asking them to “enshrine neutrality” towards joining groups like the EU and NATO.
Consequences in Ukraine
Death and destruction in the cities and a potential takeover of the government and media.
Consequences Worldwide
Putin is threatening extreme retaliation, which could potentially turn nuclear.