Australian shares were likely to open lower on Thursday as the possible invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces and multiple sanctions announced by Western nations kept investors on the edge.
The local share price index futures fell 1.3%, a 177.7 point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index close.
The benchmark rose 0.6% on Wednesday.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index fell by 0.25% in early trade.