> good evening. much of the world holding its breath tonight. the pentagon declaring russian forces as ready "> > good evening. much of the world holding its breath tonight. the pentagon declaring russian forces as ready " property="og:description"> > good evening. much of the world holding its breath tonight. the pentagon declaring russian forces as ready ">
this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >> good evening. much of the world holding its breath tonight. the pentagon declaring russian forces as ready as they can be to invade ukraine. the most immediate focus, ukraine's east. that's where russia already controls territory, potential jumping off points for a broader strike into the heart of the country. our team inside ukraine witnessing firsthand the terror of random artillery barrages as russian-backed separatists increase the tempo of attacks. in moscow vladimir putin declaring the security interests of his citizens are paramount. unconditional showing no signs of flinching in the face of ramped up sanctions. in a moment secretary of state blinken answers our questions. we are covering it all from the white house and moscow and the perilous front lines ukraine. richard engel leads our team on the ground there. >> reporter: new satellite images tonight show within