Brave soldiers of Russia how proud you must feel as your boots march over the bones of the slaughtered citizens of Ukraine.

Brave soldiers of Russian how confident you must feel as your rockets and shells destroy the once-beautiful cities of Ukraine.

Brave soldiers of Russia what joy you must feel as you march into this once peaceful and happy land and claim it as yours.

Brave soldiers of Russia what celebration, what delight fills you as the land you try to conquer lies around you in smoking ruins.

Fearless officers of Russia, how you must cheer as your tanks destroy crops in fields, plough into cottages, farms and villages, and kill the inhabitants, even if old and unarmed.

Fearless officers of Russia, how eager you are to smash down what took centuries to build, how merry you all must be serving your country in such a heroic way!

Fearless officers of Russia with what pride do you report back the number of women and children perished at your hands and the barrels of your weapons.

Fearless officers of Russia what courage you have shown against senior citizens, children and all other civilians, what courage to drive your tanks into towns and anything you perceive to be obstacles on your paths to glory and doing your leaders’ bidding.

Proud generals of Russia what comfort you must feel as a job well done when you behold the devastation of a land democratic and free just a few weeks ago.

Proud generals of Russia how you must toast each other as the congratulations pour in from your overlords in the capital.

Proud generals of Russia what medals you must be dreaming of as your artillery mercilessly pounds the homes of the population, schools full of children, hospitals packed with the sick, the helpless, the wounded, the elderly, the women with their with their babes born and as yet unborn.

Proud generals of Russia able at last to fulfil your destinies, to practice the warcraft that you have so impatiently waited for and so eagerly trained for, watching with great satisfaction as your commands of destruction are followed without respite.

Grim rulers of Russia, your military follow your orders, as you have those of your leader, you have fed the people untruths and are content that any voices of dissent and truth have been silenced.

Grim members of Russia’s government, how obediently you support your leader and his hunger for war, for glory, for domination, and for the power to destroy what peace there is on this planet.

Grim Russian authorities, how magnificent you must feel having arrested thousands of citizens, even children, for making peaceful protests against the war you deny is happening and the effective way you shut down all independent media and communications from other countries.

Grim members of the Russian State Duma do you wonder how you will rewarded for supporting your demonic leader and causing the deaths of thousands, and the terrified flight of millions of Ukraine citizens from their families, their homes, their country, their future.

Posturing president of Russia, who hides in the Kremlin, yet another Russian dictator of ruthless ambition, I see you rubbing your hands with pleasure at the upheaval, the death and destruction you have shown you are capable of. What a mighty warrior you behold in the mirror!

Pathetic president of Russia, despite all the strength and powers of your defences, precautions and bodyguards, you are fearful...terrified that the Russian people might learn the truth about you, your supporters and your catastrophic decisions.

All-powerful president of Russia, not content with helping genocide in Syria, you now think to boost your image visiting the same on Ukraine. But you forget that actions have consequences, and are incapable of believing that you will fall from power to disgrace.

Lethal leader of Russia, ex-bright star of the KGB, you learned how to make lies and deceit your way of life, trusting no one, suspicious of all, you strut over the corpses of the thousands of your conscript dead.

People of Russia, you have been encouraged for so long to fear and mistrust “The West”, that you will not, cannot believe anything apart from the clever and ceaseless propaganda that pours from the state’s media, That is your choice. When the apparatus of falsity collapses, and truth emerges, a great shock awaits you, but it all might be too late.

Nicholas C Granby March 2022