Vladimir Putin, the despot President of Russia has illusions of being viewed in history as a self styled Peter the Great. Fortunately, Putin is anything but a great conqueror, Vlad is a pathetic little despot that has taken Russia from a G20. Sure, Putin has a large military to draw upon, this is neither an efficient or effective military. Apart from strengthening NATO with Norway and Finland joining, NATO no longer fears the Russian military.

So, where does this leave Russia? Well, there are deaths and people maimed, a Russian soldier accessing their medical system would be concerning, at least a Ukrainian soldier has a chance of survival. I have seen photographs of Ukrainian soldiers wounded and killed in action, these are hard photographs to view, these are not great photographs. What the Russian soldiers have been recorded doing to Ukrainian civilians is disgusting, they actually deserve this treatment when they return.

Putin thought he could splinter Europe, he believed he could place NATO under pressure and the infighting would dissolve the NATO alliance. That did not happen, NATO expanded right up to his northern border, if Putin feared an invasion through the Russian southern European border, he now has to contend with NATO at the northern European border. Putin is not a leader of people, nor is he a master strategist and he has proved he lacks the military nous. What Putin has shown the world is he has set up an internal facing fascist dictator bubble with a military arranged to quell internal uprising.