Even though I am European, and this war is practically at my doorstep, it's still hard to believe that it is actually happening. If anyone had predicted it 10 y

Even though I am European, and this war is practically at my doorstep, it's still hard to believe that it is actually happening. If anyone had predicted it 10 years ago, I would not have believed it, even though I already had a rather low opinion of Putin. The fact that he just continues with this lunacy keeps shocking me. Though it must be incredibly hard for a dictator to admit that you overplayed your hand, I can not wrap my mind around the fact that this is not the preferable alternative to the current situation, no matter the cost to his reputation as a strong leader etc.