THE UNTHINKABLE HAS HAPPENED: BIGGEST WAR IN EUROPE SINCE WORLD WAR 2.

Putin is a rogue, but until a few days ago, I considered him a rational being, no Ahmadinejad-like nutcase eagerly anticipating the end of the world. Over the course of the past two decades, Russia under Putin emerged relatively prosperous from the chaos of the USSR's demise and the subsequent lawlessness of the Yeltsin-era. I never thought he would want to give all that up. I was convinced the huge troop deployments along the Ukrainian border were just sabre-rattling.


Imagine my surprise then, when he launched a full blown air, land and sea war against Ukraine, the enormity of which I'm still struggling to comprehend. This is nothing less than an old fashioned, WW2 era power and land grab, a callous invasion of a sovereign nation.


And after three days of fierce fighting, it is safe to say that the fighting in Ukraine already represents the biggest land war in Europe since World War Two.


Needless to say, Ukrainians deserve our sympathy, prayers and support. However, I'm stopping short of advocating direct military involvement, which has the potential of unleashing a nuclear war. Ukraine is no NATO country, so Article V cannot be invoked. Sending supplies and even weapons are OK in my view, but troops should be totally out of the question. The World simply cannot risk a nuclear holocaust, no matter how much the Ukrainians deserve freedom and prosperity.


It is therefore with a heavy heart that I post this photograph of Ukrainian soldiers praying before an icon of Our Lady of Pochayiv, Protectress of Ukraine, because for the moment I fear that on the battlefield, the task of repelling the invader will rest on their shoulders only:





Belgium has pledged 3,800 tons of fuel and 2,000 machineguns with ammo. If you live in Belgium, you might also want to channel help via the Ukrainian Embassy:





Useful phone numbers and banking accounts are below, if you want to contribute with humanitarian and/or financial aid:






Spare a moment or two, from the comfort of your house, for thoughts and prayers for Ukraine's brave soldiers fighting it out RIGHT NOW in the cold and the mud, and its citizens sheltering in basements and the Underground. Also, for what I suspect is the majority of their adversaries, simple Russian conscripts told to go fight and die for nothing on orders of a cruel madman.



MFBB.