Georgia, Syria, Crimea, Ukraine - a catalogue of evil, deadly, destructive and illegal campaigns launched by the most dictatorial and undemocratic leaders of our time. Putin hides his crimes by gagging the Russian media while jailing and killing his political opposition. If the Russian people knew the truth about his ‘military operation’ in Ukraine I’m sure that Putin, MPs and senior politicians surrounding him wouldn’t last five minutes.

How many lives will it take? How many destroyed cities and towns will it take? How many displaced inhabitants will it take? To rid the world of this despot.

I cannot understand how these autocrats generate such strong allegiance from those around them; that follow blindly and perform such evil acts on their behalf.

We have our own Boris Johnson who lied and mislead the British people over Brexit and much more, that tried to stop parliament from functioning, that lied to the queen, that cleared his party of those independent-minded conservative MPs who disagreed, that accepted Russian political donations, and that will do anything to save his dishonest and incompetent skin. And who rewards blind loyalty alone with senior and junior government positions, and honours. I must also mention the management of the pandemic that has killed over 180,000 UK citizens despite the fact that we are an island nation that should have been far more successful in minimising the spread of this deadly disease, as have all other island nations. He is a leader unable to give a straight answer to a straight question and continually misleads the country and parliament. But in comparison to Putin he’s minor league…

But Putin is in another class altogether; a premier league player. My question is, how does he continue to get away with it?

How many times have NATO and the UN stood by and watched millions injured and die, with cities and towns demolished - patently obvious war crimes and genocide? Myanmar, Yemen and Syria are prime and current examples. Putin’s illegal aggression in Ukraine is sickening in its level of criminality, ferocity, destruction, death and injury. But those institutions designed to stop such illegality and protect places and people is not working. In the case of Ukraine, a no-fly zone is the very least the country needs, but Putin’s empty nuclear threats have won the day. Yes, other nations have supplied weaponry and other aid, but after the fact; when the damage has already been done with the real prospect of much more to come.

NATO has strengthened surrounding Eastern block NATO member countries, but why on earth wasn’t Ukraine given membership of the club for protection against the inevitable? It’s all too little, too late. And once again NATO is seen wanting while Russia and China still hold veto votes in the security council effectively blocking any protective action. When will NATO change to a majority vote system? Even better, eject countries that behave like Russia and China.

India is another major democracy with an autocratic leader who refuses to condemn Russian’s Ukraine war, and yet Boris Johnson still sees fit to travel to India to negotiate trade deals. Self-interest seems to dominate rather than principle. In this instance Johnson is desperate to do deals with anyone and everyone in an attempt to offset the major loss of EU business which is already proving to be economically disastrous (and it’s just the beginning).

When a Russian fighter jet encroached Turkish airspace, it was shot down. What did Putin do? He formed an alliance with the Turkish autocratic leader rather than respond militarily. Putin only understands force rather than sanctions, which will only really affect the innocent Russian population.

So we continue to watch this tragedy unfold, via our independent/free media sector, while desperate people huddle in basements and leave their destroyed homes, relatives and friends to travel to safer havens with no knowledge of where they are going or what they will do. And while their men stay behind to help save their country.

It’s shameful that the cavalry never arrived.

It is strongly rumoured that when Putin when a senior member of the KGB was a mean video games player. The difference now is that instead of animated humans his games destroy real people and real nations…And if and when this devastating and illegal war is over, maximum sanctions on Russia should remain until Putin has paid in full to replace every Ukrainian building he so criminally destroyed, and pays compensation for every civilian life lost and injured.