memeorandum: Putin wants to bring back the Soviet Union. We must not allow that to happen (Michael Pompeo/Fox News)

3:50 PM ET, February 24, 2022

Top Items:

Biden has been presented with options for massive cyberattacks against Russia — Biden given Russia cyberattack options, including internet and transportation interruptions — President Joe Biden has been presented with a menu of options for the U.S. to carry out massive cyberattacks designed …

Discussion: The Hill and Изв …

Financial Times:

World leaders divided on whether to eject Russia from Swift payment system — Boris Johnson pushes ‘very hard’ for move while Germany warns against ahead of emergency EU meeting — Western leaders are split on whether Russia should be ejected from the Swift international payments system …

Discussion: Reuters, HotAir, Washington Examiner, UPI, The Guardian and The Daily Caller

New York Times:

Ukraine Says Russian Forces Seized Chernobyl; Pentagon Gives Grim Assessment — Biden announces new sanctions: Putin and Russia ‘will bear the consequences’ of their war. — WASHINGTON — President Biden on Thursday said the United States is imposing what he said would be crushing sanctions …

Washington Post:

Russia-Ukraine live updates: Russia launches attacks across Ukraine; Biden vows ‘consequences’ — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared martial law as explosions were heard throughout the country and Russian forces targeted the capital.

The White House:

Statement by President Biden on Russia's Unprovoked and Unjustified Attack on Ukraine — The prayers of the entire world are with the people of Ukraine tonight as they suffer an unprovoked and unjustified attack by Russian military forces. President Putin has chosen a premeditated war …

Wall Street Journal:

Russia Attacks Ukraine, Drawing Broad Condemnation — Missiles and airstrikes hit Kyiv and several other cities in Ukraine, in what President Biden calls an unprovoked attack, pledging further action against Moscow — KYIV, Ukraine—Russian armored columns pushed into Ukraine and airstrikes hit …

Discussion: The Hill, Insider, Washington Examiner, National Review, New York Times, Macleans.ca, Common Sense, New York Times, CNN, RedState, Providence, Metro.co.uk, Outside the Beltway, Insider, Outside the Tent and CNN

Associated Press:

The Latest: UN chief warns Russian actions could devastate — The latest on the Russia-Ukraine crisis: — ___ — UNITED NATIONS — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says Russia's attack on Ukraine — as he appealed for President Vladimir Putin to stop his troops — was “the saddest moment” of his five-year tenure.

Michael Pompeo / Fox News:

Putin wants to bring back the Soviet Union. We must not allow that to happen — It is not Vladimir Putin who has changed, it's American leadership that's changed — Mike Pompeo: Vladimir Putin didn't change, American leadership changed — Days ago, Vladimir Putin did what we all have known …

Discussion: The Atlantic, Raw Story and RedState

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:

Trump immediately botches what's happening in Ukraine — If there's one thing Donald Trump and his allies want you to know about what's happening in Ukraine right now, it's that it wouldn't be happening if he were still in charge. — If only he actually knew what was happening.

Discussion: Mock Paper Scissors, Mediaite, Raw Story, The Jacked Up Journal and Brain Food

Matthew Continetti / Washington Free Beacon:
Sanctions Are Not Enough — Column: America needs energy independence and a much larger military to deter Putin

Discussion: Mic, Townhall, Politico and Insider

Gideon Rachman / Financial Times:
Putin's war will shake the world

Discussion: Bloomberg, Washington Post and New York Times

Financial Times: Former European leaders resign from Russian corporate boards

Telegraph:
Russia deploys mobile crematoriums to follow its troops into battle

Discussion: The Daily Beast, The Daily Caller, Common Dreams and The Moderate Voice

Bloomberg:
U.S. Spies Made Right Call on Russia Invasion, Buying Biden Time

Discussion: Blogs of War

Associated Press:
Live updates: Ukraine leader: Russians checked outside Kyiv

Discussion: Fox News, Insider, TheBlaze, The Gateway Pundit, National Review, TheJournal.ie, Politico, WSVN-TV, New York Post, Al Jazeera, The National Interest, This Newsletter Is Political, The Daily Caller, WTOP News and KTLA

Reuters:
China rejects calling Russia move ‘invasion,’ urges citizens in Ukraine to stay home

Discussion: Washington Examiner, RedState, Fox News, National Newswatch and Mediaite

Politico:
New U.S. sanctions on Russia mainly hit banks, miss energy sector

Discussion: VICE, BuzzFeed News, Washington Examiner, Fox News, WTOP News, TheBlaze, The Atlantic and Los Angeles Times

Mike Brest / Washington Examiner:
Russia has ‘every intention of basically decapitating’ Ukrainian government

Discussion: Politico

Christian Shepherd / Washington Post:
China, seemingly surprised by sudden Ukraine incursion, denies backing Russian attacks

Discussion: Voice of America, The Daily Caller, UPI, The National Interest, The Bulwark, The Diplomat and Beijing to Britain

Invitation / The Economist:
Dmitri Alperovitch on the risks of escalation

Discussion: Al Jazeera

Wall Street Journal:
How Ukraine Was Betrayed in Budapest

Discussion: The Atlantic, The Atlantic, Politico, Axios, The Atlantic, POLITICUSUSA, Bloomberg, Washington Post, The Economist, NBC News and KRQE-TV

NATO:
NATO Secretary General statement on Russia's unprovoked attack on Ukraine

Discussion: The Guardian, CNBC, The National Interest, Al Jazeera, Washington Post, Prime Minister of Canada, NBC News and NBC New York

Tyler Olson / Fox News:
McCarthy, Schumer and other top congressional leaders condemn Russian war on Ukraine: ‘Reckless and evil’

Discussion: Politico

Politico:
Battles flare across Ukraine after Putin declares war

Joe Tidy / BBC:
Cyber-attacks bring down many Ukraine websites

Discussion: WeLiveSecurity, Reuters, The Daily Caller, Raw Story, UPI, The Daily Caller, Insider, Washington Examiner, From The Forests of Arduinna, WTOP News and Sophos News, more at Techmeme »

Reuters:
Russia invades Ukraine in Europe's ‘darkest hours’ since WWII

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Insider, Mediaite, euronews, The Bulletin, News24, Mic, Townhall, Politico, Christopher Six's Pick Six, New York Times, The Energy Transitions Blog, Fox News, This Week in Sustainability, IJR and Power Line

The White House:
Statement by President Joe Biden on Phone Call with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine

Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:

Now is the time to remember what Fox's own lawyers said about Tucker Carlson … As Russia prepared to invade Ukraine, the biggest star on Fox News was busy doing what he does best: being thoroughly and appallingly wrong. — He defended the murderous instigator Vladimir Putin …

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, Media Matters for America, Second Nexus, The Wrap, Kansas Reflector, claytoonz, Above the Law and HillReporter.com

Christopher Cadelago / Politico:
Biden faces another global crisis. This one resonates differently at home.

Discussion: CNN, HuffPost, New York Magazine and New York Times

Aaron Rupar / Public Notice:
Trump thought US troops are fighting Russians in Ukraine. Really.

Discussion: Washington Post, Washington Examiner, HillReporter.com, Ann Coulter, Raw Story, Hennessy's View, Morning Shots, Mother Jones and Washington Post

The White House:

FACT SHEET: Joined by Allies and Partners, the United States Imposes Devastating Costs on Russia — Russia to Face Massive Costs from its Isolation from the Global Financial and Trade System and Cutting-Edge Technology — Today, the United States, along with Allies and partners …

Discussion: Insider, Next War Notes newsletter, The Daily Caller, Washington Post, Daily Kos and Dave's Newsletter

U.S. Department of the Treasury:

U.S. Treasury Announces Unprecedented & Expansive Sanctions Against Russia, Imposing Swift and Severe Economic Costs — United States Acts in Tandem with Partners and Allies to Maximize Consequences for Russia, and in Show of Unity Against Invasion of a Sovereign State

Dave Michaels / Wall Street Journal:

SEC Probes Trading by Elon Musk and Brother in Wake of Tesla CEO's Sales — Investigation looks partly at Kimbal Musk's trades before brother's pledge to sell based on Twitter poll — WASHINGTON—The Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating whether recent stock sales …

Discussion: Bloomberg

Anton Troianovski / New York Times:

Russians Now See a New Side to Putin: Dragging Them Into War — The autocrat who has steered Russia for 22 years was embraced by many Russians for what they saw as his rationality and astute risk management. That image has been upended. — MOSCOW — Russians thought they knew their president.

Discussion: Meduza.io, Mother Jones and Associated Press

Wall Street Journal:

Jared Kushner's New Fund Looks to Profit From His Middle East Diplomacy — One pitch to a bank included slide listing Abraham Accords, Israeli-Palestinian peace initiative and trade deals involving North America and China — RIYADH, Saudi Arabia— Jared Kushner has toured Persian Gulf monarchies …

Discussion: Political Wire

Matthew Lee / Washington Post:

US expels Russia's No. 2 diplomat at Washington embassy — WASHINGTON — The United States has expelled Russia's second-ranking diplomat in Washington in retaliation for the Russian expulsion of the No. 2 U.S. diplomat in Moscow earlier this month, a senior State Department official said Thursday.

Discussion: Washington Examiner and Political Wire

Monique Beals / The Hill:

McConnell: ‘Ratchet the sanctions all the way up’ — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said on Thursday that President Biden should increase sanctions against Russia “all the way up” after Moscow began a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine. — “Ratchet the sanctions all the way up.