ON the anniversary of Russia’s brutal and totally unwarranted invasion of Ukraine, the United Nations overwhelmingly condemned Putin’s war - with 141 nations calling for Russia’s immediate withdrawal from Ukraine.

Thirty two members abstained - among them China, India, Pakistan and South Africa - undoubtedly because they are too scared of Putin to come down off the fence and stand up to the bully.

And just six countries backed the Russian aggression - Belarus, Eritrea, Mali, Nicaragua, North Korea and Syria. No surprise there, given that their record on human rights is on a par with, or even worse than, those of the puppet-master in Moscow who pulls their strings - bearing out the truth of the age-old adage that ‘Birds of a feather flock together!’ Although the end of Russia’s rampage against Ukraine seems a long way off at he moment, we can take some comfort in the knowledge that history shows us that all tyrants (Stalin, Hitler, Pol Pt, Mussolini, Salazar, Franco and Ceausescu, among the most recent) all come a sticky end.

As will Putin.

ROBERT READMAN

Norwich Avenue West, Bournemouth