War

When we lived in Poland we went to Radom’s Air Show to watch The RAF Red Arrows ‘fly the flag’ for the U.K. Their display was immaculate.

The next display was from a Ukrainian two seater fast jet. It soared high and fell back into a loop manoeuvre skimming the trees before roaring skywards for a second loop. This time it skimmed even lower and disappeared behind the forest. We tracked its exit expectantly. It did not appear. Then a sickly plume of dark smoke rose from the trees followed by the inevitable sound of a catastrophic explosion. Both pilots were killed. We abandoned our picnic lunch and drove home, in shock, immediately.

I was reminded of this tragic accident while watching the news of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine today. Every soldier, sailor or pilot are fellow humans. Every fatality in war is ultimately such a tragic and pointless loss.
We stand, today, on the brink of a crisis that not only threatens Ukraine but the stability of the whole world.