Du sublime au ridicule, il n'y a qu'un pas.

The Ukrainian crisis has finally had a direct impact on my Lotus-Eater's life. Scotland's World Cup play-off semi-final against Ukraine, scheduled for March 24, has been postponed (and here comes one of the great understatements of our time) 'due to Russian invasion.' The other semi-final, Wales v Austria, will go ahead. If Wales and Scotland both won, Andy Tea (a Scot) and I were going to go to Cardiff on the 29th to watch the final. Deuced inconvenient I call it.

Though Rod M, as he pointedly reminded me yesterday, is still my official tutor on Russia-Ukraine relations; I am still allowed to do some background reading of my own.

• Article by Vladimir Putin ”On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians“ July 12, 2021 http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/66181
• "The Long Telegram" George F. Kennan 22/2/1947.  https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/coldwar/documents/episode-1/kennan.htm

Accessing the Putin article is a bit hit and miss this morning. I do hope that neither our masters nor "white-hat" hackers are disrupting it as that rather defeats the free speech ideals we are supposed to be upholding.