It's not just American life that would be disrupted by a Russian Ukrainian invasion but the whole world

Why?

Because Russia presently supplies up to 40% of the oil the world presently uses. The most likely scenario that could arise from a Russian invasion of Ukraine would be the Western Democracies boycotting Russian oil. This would then send the price of oil up approximately possibly up to 40% higher than it is now. This also could result in Russia selling it's oil mostly to China and to 3rd world nations as a direct result.

So, since the Russian government and health care system runs literally on the price of oil, Putin might be thinking that he could make an oil killing by invading Ukraine in addition to taking over the country as well as other countries like Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and other former Eastern Block nations before the Cold War ended around 1990.

This could be what Putin intends to do.

However, on one level what Putin is planning to do could be economic suicide in the short or long run in other ways when Sanctions from all Western Democracies slam Putin's Russia all at once. The other thing that likely would slam him and his rulership of Russia is Russian body bags filled with Russian Soldiers too.

But, what he is planning is more serious than anything since  the Cuban Missile Crisis and World War II which is what is really upsetting and will be for the whole world if he keeps going in this direction.

Because not since Hitler or Stalin have we seen any leader do something as crazy as this since maybe 

Nikita Khrushchev - Wikipedia

v

Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev /χruʃjof/ (χrú-she-off) (15 April [O.S. 3 April] 1894 – 11 September 1971) was the First Secretary of the Communist Party of ...

Years of service: 1941–45

Branch/service: Red Army

Political party: Communist Party of the Soviet ...

Nationality: Soviet

‎Sergei Khrushchev · ‎Leonid Khrushchev · ‎Leonid Brezhnev · ‎Anastas Mikoyan

and what he did during the Cuban missile crisis. Also, when President Kennedy was assassinated his government removed him from power because it was suspected that he had had President Kennedy assassinated. Khrushchev was the leader of the Soviet Union during the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Assassination of President Kennedy a year or so later after the Cuban missile Crisis.