Putin’s brutal war in Ukraine will undoubtedly go down in history as one of the most spectacular military blunders of modern times.

The Russian leader claims that the object of his ‘special military operation’ was to de-Nazify Ukraine - which is laughable on two counts.

Firstly President Zelensky is himself Jewish and secondly, his butchers (it would debase the term to dignify to the Russian hordes devastating Ukraine by calling them soldiers) are themselves emulating the murderous tactics used by Hitler’s notorious Einsatzgruppen (death squads) throughout Europe, especially in Russia (the USSR as it then was, during World War Two (or the Great Patriotic War as it is known in Russia).

In reality his military debacle was prompted by his increasing paranoia over the expansion of NATO - which Ukraine had expressed a desire to join.

But far from reducing NATO’s influence and commitment to defending European freedom, the Muscovite Napoleon’s actions have had exactly the opposite effect - with even Finland and Sweden (which remained neutral throughout WWll) now looking at joining the alliance.

Putin will certainly not be remembered as the man who restored Russia’s to its former glory.

Robert Readman

Bournemouth