Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, what do you hope to gain from your “special military operation” in Ukraine ?

You say Ukraine must be denazified and demilitarized. But why demilitarized? Does it threaten Russia? What kind of threat could come from an army much smaller than yours? Would any mid-size nation wish to attack a powerful neighbour which has a nuclear arsenal?

Ukraine did possess nuclear weapons in the past. In December 1994, by signing the Budapest Memorandum, it gave up all of them, which it had inherited from the Soviet Union. In exchange, Ukraine’s independence - within its existing borders! - was recognized by Russia. And to whom went all those nukes? To your country, Vladimir Vladimirovich. Why, 27 years later, should this treaty no longer be valid?

You threaten Russian journalists with heavy prison sentences for any propagation of “fake news”.  But why, then, does the official russian propaganda itself spread news which are fake  -  to the point of being hardly credible? Who can seriously believe that the United States’ aim is to “destroy Russia” ? You are turning Russia into a country where it is impossible to be informed and forbidden to have an opinion, if either of these differs from the official view!

Your propaganda states that the Ukrainian government is in the hand of nazis. That word has surely been chosen with premeditation: knowing how much Russia has suffered from nazis in the 20th century, few words can suggest so much horror as that one in the heart of any Russian. But in this case, Vladimir Vladimirovich, it is a blatant lie. There are some neo-nazis in Ukraine, yes (as in other countries), but they are a minority and are not in power. And anyway are you not ambiguous about right-wing sympathizers? In some western countries, you seem to befriend them. As for Volodymyr Zelensky, he doesn’t speak like a nazi, he doesn’t behave like a nazi, and members of his government have never expressed such ideas. In a word, he’s no nazi. You will never convince the world’s opinion that he’s one.

You probably hoped the Ukrainian people would welcome your army in their country. The truth is that a great majority of Ukrainians don’t want your army, nor do they want the Kremlin to meddle in their lives. How are you going to subjugate that nation? In one of two ways: you could either, through brute force, drive them all out of their country. Or you could exterminate any one who dares resist. But then it will be you, Vladimir Vladimirovich, who will commit a genocide  -  not them, as your propaganda would have it! 

In either of theses cases, it won’t be Volodymyr Zelensky who will be remembered throughout the 21st century as a nazi. Far more likely, it will be the Russian troops (because they are behaving like nazis) and the man who sent them there: in other words, you!

Stop this awful war, Vladimir Vladimirovich. Russians and Ukrainians are cousins; they can live as good neighbours even if choosing different paths. If Ukrainians wish to live as we do in the West, it will never prevent Russians from choosing their own destiny. Your people has more to gain in peace than in confrontation!

We say so as citizens of countries that have seen many conflits through the centuries. But thankfully, our nations have found out that it is best to interact as good neighbours, however different we may be. The fruits of peace are always better than those of war.