I am not a BOT and, like most, believe Putin has no just cause for this war. I hope that the Ukrainians can turn this into a long war of attrition and eventually emerge as a sovereign nation.
However, when we (‘the coalition of the willing’) attacked Iraq, we lost the moral high ground. We attacked a sovereign nation miles away on the flimsiest of pretexts.
And, so far (which is a big qualification), the Russian army have acted far more bravely and compassionately than the U.S (and U.K) did in Iraq. They have actually sent ground troops in before bombing the hell out of the Ukrainian infrastructure. And what the U.S infantry did to the Iraqi conscript army, shelling them with up-to-date artillery in their trenches, was pretty vile. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis died vs, so far, a few hundred Ukrainians.
Now, wars tend to turn nasty (they are never nice), so I may end up eating my words, but people tend to forget recent history very quickly.
This war seems to be a personal Putin vendetta as opposed to most wars, which are actually about economic resources.
Thankfully, wiser heads in the U.S and, latterly, the EU seem to be prevailing. Boris’s ‘churchillian’ speeches, with nothing to back them up, are utterly pointless and provocative. The oligarchs’ children are, in an hour or so, being taken to their Chelsea private schools, and I am sure Chelski will see its normal share of Russian supporters, who will go on to a £200/head meal after the match.
Realpolitik is a grown ups’ game.