Mel Brooks’ movie ‘To Be or Not To Be’ is one of my favourites for regular reviewing.

“A little piece of Poland, a little slice of Turkey…” might have quite amusing in the movie but it seems quite clear that Putin doesn’t want a little piece of Ukraine. Is it the West’s fault? Blandishments to the Ukraine about joining NATO are costing that country dearly, and why?

Ukraine becoming part of NATO would no more threaten the current Soviet bloc than would Sweden or Finland. But that ignores the innate xenophobia so recognisable in the Russian make up.

It seems to me that the Russians don’t know where they belong: neither Eastern nor Western; not aligned to America nor truly to China.

Hitler used to justify the concept of a German Empire by referring to ‘lebensraum’, space to develop. What we see today from Putin may be a latter day example or just a perception of safety.

I don’t imagine that Putin wants to conquer the world but he does believe in the former Soviet Union. He may have been a taxi driver for a few months but the old KGB is firmly in his blood.