But in the wake of dramatic military setbacks, all this has suddenly become very real, with the Russian leader announcing an immediate call up of hundreds of thousands of men to bolster his depleted forces.
The first U.S. troops reinforcing NATO allies in Eastern Europe amid a Russian military buildup on Ukraine's border arrived Saturday at a military base in southeastern Poland near the border with Ukraine.
The detentions come as U.S. envoy Jeffrey Feltman visits Ethiopia as he seeks to back efforts for an immediate cease-fire in the intensifying year-long support.
Brazil says it's sending military reinforcements to its northern border as tensions rise between its neighbors Venezuela and Guyana over a disputed oil-rich region.