Ukraine-Russia crisis: What to know as the tension grinds on

By The Associated Press

 Spiking tensions in eastern Ukraine are heightening Western fears of a Russian invasion and a new war in Europe. U.S. President Joe Biden saying he’s “convinced” that Russian President Vladimir Putin has made the decision to invade. NATO countries fear that the volatile east could be a flashpoint in their tensest standoff with Russia since the Cold War, providing the Kremlin with a pretext to invade Ukraine. The United States upped its estimate of Russia’s troop strength for a possible Ukraine invasion to as many as 190,000. And Russia plans to hold major military exercises Saturday, including multiple practice launches of intercontinental ballistic and cruise missiles.