April 30

Today is April 30th, the end of the Celtic winter. Tomorrow, May 1st, is Bealltain Bhuidhe, the Yellow Beltane, after the colour of some of the flowers that are out at this time of year. In certain parts of Europe, this day is referred to as St Walpurgis Night, the night that the ghosts and spectres of winter are exorcised and banished. It marks the start, particularly in the north, of the long evenings when darkness never really falls.

Back in 1945, this was the day that Adolf Hitler took his own life. An evil spirit banished from this earth. We must never forget, and never forget that although Hitler was evil, his reign was enabled by political decisions made in preceding decades.

The same applies to Vladimir Putin today, as lessons from the 1930s and 40s were patently forgotten. What he can get away with, he will get away with. And that is something that was not properly recognised, something that we will be paying a price for.

For the children

для детей. For the children.

Remember Mariupol, Ukraine, where the word дітей (children) was painted outside the theatre? The Russians put a bomb into it. Precisely for that reason. Remember the remains of the rocket in Kramatorsk, which had the words для детей painted on it? An expression of extreme cynicism, lost on most observers, who seem to live by the day.

Look at the bigger picture, folks. Sorry to be callous, but all those atrocities show that Russia is indeed intent to not only wipe Ukraine off the map, but to subjugate the entire European continent under its double eagle. In Putin's doctrine, the Americans can go back to their own continent. If Ukraine falls, so will we, in Europe. We can see how ruthless Putin's forces are. This war is existential. As I wrote on February 24th,

War For Our Time.