From Russia without Love

In the 1963 From Russia with Love, the second of James Bond series was released. Somehow this movie makes me to correlate the words 'Russia" with "Love'. Might be due to the soft voice of Matt Monro. Of course when Russia attack the neighboring Ukraine it would be impossible to correlate 'Russia" with 'love'.  Firstly I could not understand why Russia had initiated the war. In this article BBC mentioned that Putin wants Ukraine be freed from oppression and "cleansed of the Nazis". Such a strange argument but it would seems that main drive is Putin would not want Ukraine to move towards the European Union and the West's defensive military alliance, Nato.

I am writing this on day five of the conflict. The fight keeps escalating , even as Russian and Ukrainian representatives held their first face-to-face talks since the conflict began. The United Nations' refugee agency says half a million people have now fled Ukraine to neighboring countries. The western countries are sanctions to Russia and the impacts are started to be experienced by millions of Russians like him are starting to feel the impacts. The aim of this economic war is to isolate Russia and create a deep recession there. Western leaders hope the unprecedented measures will bring about a change in thinking in the Kremlin. Ordinary Russians face seeing their savings wiped out. Many are predicted to lose their jobs as the economy reels from being cut off from financial markets in the West.

Russia is banned by FIFA and UEFA who suspend all Russian clubs and national teams. The Russian Formula 1 Grand Prix, due to take place on 25 September in Sochi, had been cancelled too. World Rugby and other sports like Badminton etc. have also suspended Russia from international and cross-border competition.

I would wish this conflict to end sooner than latter but it seems that the decision of one particular leader to drag the whole world to war is ridiculous. Many innocent are killed. Many suffer physically/ economically. But for what ? I could not agree more to Pope Francis twit 

Life is very short, and there's no time
For fussing and fighting, my friend

(The Beatles, we can work it out, 1965)