‘One of the most brazen attacks in history’

Is Putin lashing out because he is dying? Ukraine’s spy chief says his health has sharply declined and that with less than two years to live he is desperate to make his mark. The 1,000 people shopping in the mall in KremenchukA large industrial centre on the River Dinipro. Before the war it had a population of around 200,000. thought they were safe. So far, the city had escaped attack. But on Monday, the mall was hit by two missiles and went up in flames. At least 20 people were killed and 59 wounded.  Ukraine’s president called the attack “one of the most brazen terrorist acts in European history… A peaceful town, an ordinary shopping centre – women, children, ordinary civilians inside.” A statement by the G7A group made up of six of the world’s major industrialised nations/advanced economies (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK) plus the EU. All of its current members are democracies. leaders promised that those responsible, including Vladimir Putin, would be punished. Few people believed the Russians’ claim that they had been targeting an arms dumpThe Russians claim that fire spread from the arms dump to the mall. Ukrainian officials deny that there is an arms dump there.. Civilians have paid an awful price for Putin’s aggression. So why is he waging war so viciously? A possible answer is that he is very ill, and wants to be sure that he will be remembered after his death. In the past, Putin was keen to look physically strong and athletic. He was photographed hunting and playing ice hockey. But recent pictures suggest a very different story. One showed him talking to President Macron from the far end of a very long table. People assumed he was terrified of catching Covid-19. Then, in April, he was filmed slouching in his chair and clutching the table as he talked to his defence ministerSergey Shoigu has held the position since 2012. In August 2021 he said that "Russia does not consider Ukraine as threat".. He looked as if he was suffering from Parkinson’s diseaseA condition which affects the part of the brain controlling movement.. Not long afterwards he seemed unsteady on his feet as he presented a prize. His face looks puffy, and in May he sat through Moscow’s Victory DayTaking place on 9 May each year, it commemorates the surrender of Nazi Germany in 1945. parade in Moscow looking like an invalid, with a blanket over his legs. According to the head of Ukrainian intelligence, Putin is in a "very bad psychological and physical condition". US experts think he has had treatment for advanced cancer. But Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei LavrovHe has been foreign minister since 2004., insists: "I don't think that a sane person can suspect any signs of an illness." Is Putin lashing out because he is dying? Legacy lunacy? Yes: Putin had no good reason for invading Ukraine, which did not present any threat to Russia, even if it joined Nato. An urgent, all-consuming need to ensure his legacy is the only possible explanation.