I’ve dealt with Putin before: I know what it will take to defeat this brutal despot

International solidarity is the best weapon we have against Russia’s dictator. A united front is now more crucial than ever

"My own history with Putin goes back to 2000, when we were both prime ministers of our respective countries," says Viktor Yushchenko. Picture: Sergei Supinsky/AFP/Getty Images

Maksym Kurochkin is a playwright. For almost three years, he and 20 other Ukrainian playwrights had been planning to build a new theatre in the heart of Old Kyiv.

The group found a magnificent old structure that they were busy renovating in order to open the Playwrights’ theatre on 12 March. On 24 February, Maksym and his colleagues awoke to the horrific sound of bombs.