'Murkiness and doubt': Putin playbook meant to throw White House, allies off balance on Ukraine invasion

• Russia's geopolitical strategy is intentionally murky, experts say.
• Economic sanctions levied so far may not change Putin's plans.
• Moscow may have underestimated the unity of NATO allies.

WASHINGTON – When Vladimir Putin ordered Russian troops Monday to "maintain peace" in two separatist regions in Eastern Ukraine, the White House's first reaction was to avoid calling the operation an invasion.

“Russian troops moving into Donbas by itself would not be a new step," a senior Biden administration official said at the time.

Less than 24 hours later, President Joe Biden condemned the military action as "the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine" and announced a raft of new economic sanctions that include blacklisting two Russian financial institutions and its sovereign debt, along with penalties targeting a handful of "Russian elites" with close ties to Putin.

The overnight change in position reflects a Putin strategy, according to experts, to keep his adversaries off balance by obfuscating his intentions. By sending troops into Donbas – where Russian-backed separatists have been operating for years – it was hard to pinpoint the level of Putin’s escalation. 

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