It will be four years tomorrow, Tuesday, since Vladimir Putin’s Russia launched a wholly illegal war on its neighbour and former vassal state, Ukraine. It expected victory within hours — and at most, days.

That, as we know, did not happen. The partly failed invasion has now stretched into four years — two shy of the catastrophic Second World War — and has cost a cumulative total approaching 2m lives, destroyed large tracts of previously peaceful cities, brought both countries to the brink of financial ruin, upended world order, partially divided the EU, and strained Nato to the point of near dissolution.

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