Fergus Finlay: Invasion of Ukraine would be a war crime and we must fight to prevent it

Russian president Vladimir Putin appears to be on a mission to rebuild some kind of Russian empire, but there are diplomatic options open to the West that could dissuade him from doing so, writes Fergus Finlay.

Russian president Vladimir Putin. Picture: Alexei Nikolsky, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP

Are we on the brink of a world war? Should we be? Should the rest of the world decide that Russian president Vladimir Putin must be stopped at all costs? Or should the rest of the world wring its hands helplessly? 

Should we, a small country to the west of Europe with a long tradition of neutrality, do anything at all? Or should we hope it all avoids us?