Putin invading Ukraine on multiple fronts. Hitler, Stalin, Putin, welcome to lebensraum once again, sadly, tragically. Today Putin is even more a man of the past compared to yesterday. But time is working against him. The natural trend is towards economic integration and cultural exchange, towards a free society. The trend is towards a Europe of mobility and participation. What Putin wants are new Berlin Walls, after Moldova and Georgia now for the whole of Ukraine. According to his sick fantasies, he would probably like to have this new Ukrainian Berlin Wall along their western border.
Very sad. What does Putin want with all this lebensraum? The signs are bad. Kaliningrad or Transnistria, they are melancholic, broken and isolated barrack yards, half comatose for decades, home to grumpy soldiers or impoverished pensioners.
4:00 p.m.: Russian troops have reached the Chernobyl region, entered the area of the ruined nuclear reactor. Surreal.