On 24 February 2022 Russian troops crossed the border with Ukraine in what the Russian government described as a ‘special military operation’ to ‘liberate’ Ukrainians from supposed oppression by ‘Nazis’ and ‘thugs.’ As now know, this ‘operation’ was intended, it seems, to overthrow the current Ukrainian government, replace it with a more compliant régime and, through the display of military force, to cow Ukrainians into submission. It hardly needs to be said that we condemn this disgraceful action by the Russian government.
In a fast changing situation, it would be foolish to anticipate the eventual outcome. Currently, peace talks are underway, and we can only hope that this pointless violence will be quickly brought to an end and an equitable solution can be found. At present we can only express our admiration for the enormous bravery of Ukrainians in facing down this appalling aggression.