Putin's fan club?
I find it astonishing that so many people writing to this thread appear to endorse the actions of a dictator of a country that had to build a wall to keep its 'citizens' from leaving.
Yes there are some Western leaders who are not totally impressive, yes London and Washington have and no doubt will make mistakes, but people used to risk their lives to escape from Russia to get to the West.
Britain, the US, Ukraine and Russia signed a UN document in December 1994 that pledged them to uphold the integrity of the Ukraine. It said the signatories would not use force, would respect Ukraine's integrity and economy and any trouble would be taken straight to the UNSC.
That document on its own gives London and Washington not just a right but an obligation to get involved.
How many East Germans moved to Russia when the wall came down?
How many Poles moved east rather than West?
Reading some of the posts on this thread I can begin to wonder if freedom of speech is such a good idea.
I've never met anyone from the Ukraine, but I did used to know a girl from East Germany who managed to get out just before the wall went up.
I do still remember an expo that Russia put on at Earls Court, probably in the 1960s that was suffused with gritty, grey, ugliness.
Nothing has changed, except that the West has steadily disarmed itself, both in terms of weapons and troops while earning a few francs by building ships ideal for sailing troops and tanks across the Black Sea or down the Baltic to invade what hapless country happens to be there.