COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Congressman Pete Sessions has strong words for Russian President Vladimir Putin in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine.
"You're a brutal, communist dictator, thug against people who have their own right of sovereignty and against international law," Sessions said.
So far at least 57 military and civilians have been killed, with 169 more injured according to the Health Minister of Ukraine.
Professor Larry C. Napper at Texas A&M was the former director of the department's office of soviet union affairs.
"I do not think that his concern about Ukraine and NATO is, in any way, a justification for what we're seeing now," Napper said. "Which is an armed invasion by a neighboring country in Europe along the lines that we have not seen since the second world war."
Putin ordered troops into the Russian separatist region of Donbas, but with reports coming out that Russian forces have captured an airport outside the capital of Kyiv, it's hard to predict where Putin will stop.
"I think the real question is how far inside Ukraine they come. Ukraine is a very large country. He has talked about annexing a region, which annexation is his word."
With his work and ties to the region, Napper says the last 24 hours have been very tough for him.
"I've been working on these issues for a long time. I've worked in both Russia and Ukraine and with Russians and Ukrainians for a very very long time and for me this is a heavy day," Napper said. "My mood is kind of like the weather outside, it really is an enormous human tragedy, which is hard to take."