The Russian missile attack on the Kramatorsk
railway station is an unforgivable pagan act. How many more such atrocities must take place before western leaders admit that their Ukrainian strategy is failing? How many more children should die before Nato stops making excuses for doing nothing? How long does it take for Joe Biden, Boris Johnson, Olaf Scholz and others to face what appears to be an inevitable decision: direct intervention - or loss?
These are uncomfortable questions. But with all the explosive arrows, with all the bombs of the illegal collection and the shells of all the weapons of war, it is hard to swim. Punishment in Russia and the arms of Ukraine are celebrated by western governments as an unprecedented, inclusive achievement. They tell each other what good work they do. But it does not work. Vladimir Putin has been called a war criminal and a pariah. His finances are suspended, his friends are punished. Moscow's strategic goals have not yet been achieved, his unarmed army is in a state of disarray, and his military intentions have been shattered, such as Mariupol and Kharkiv. His country faces countless economic damage and long-term dignity.
But Putin does not care. He does not stop. And he will do no sign. Honest attempts to communicate with him in a logical manner have failed, using the Kremlin to confuse and delay. Hopes that internal opposition might bring him down still remain. At that moment, brave, frightened Ukrainian citizens await the next worst blow when their president pleads for more arms, further help, or whatever.
Russia's "monsters" were responsible for the incident in Kramatorsk, said Volodymyr Zelenskiy. It was part of a deliberate plan to assassinate civilians and create a lifeless, uninhabitable environment. “They did not abandon their ways. Lacking the strength and courage to fight us on the battlefield, they annihilate by destroying the inhabitants ... This is unlimited evil. And if it is not punished, it will never stop, ”said Zelenskiy.
You are right. Yes you are right. Anyone who watches television or reads unsolicited newspapers and social media knows that he is right. And so, too, has made all 30 Nato power. Yet as they criticize Kramatorsk, Bucha and other obscenities, millions of other unprotected Ukrainians are told that they expect even more - a full-blown invasion of eastern Ukraine by reinforced Russian troops.
This, as the west observes, is what Ukraine's democracy has been reduced to Putin. People's choice: flee for your life or face rape, torture and murder.
Such paganism cannot stand. Continuous, humiliating, useless western calls from the outside are not acceptable. Soon Biden and the others stop twisting their hands and start calling for a better shot. Although welcome, Boris Johnson's exhibition of solidarity in Kyiv yesterday will not change the stats in Moscow. Putin reigns in fear. So they startle him and come back. He does not want to fight in the West, let alone a third world war - Nato's excuses for refusing to confront him. You know you will lose. It frightens him.
So here are some of the difficult decisions Western leaders should consider immediately. First, direct interventions to create a safer area in western Ukraine, where migrants can gather instead of fleeing abroad. Inform Moscow in advance of its location and borders. It is clear that it will be protected by Nato air forces and ground forces invited by Kyiv.
Second, announce the uninhabited city of Odesa without borders. Send naval forces into the waters of the Black Sea and warn Russia to stop bombing the coast or face serious, unspecified consequences. Third, tell Putin that if his weapons and missiles shoot at civilians and, like in Kramatorsk, they will be considered Nato's official military targets. Fourth: provide anti-tank aircraft in Kyiv. Fifth: block all shipments of Russian fossil fuel.