Am I missing something? Or is Vladimir Putin missing something?

The world was sickened to the core by the heinous and cowardly terrorist attack on Moscow’s Crocus concert Hall with the loss of 137 lives…at last count.

And it reacted with understandable compassion for the victims.

Then Putin said: “We will identify and punish everyone who stands….behind this strike against Russia, against our people.” He mentioned the loss of “innocent lives” in there somewhere too. I can understand his outrage. But I cannot understand or forgive his duplicity, his two-facedness.

Regardless of what label you attach Mr Putin, your “special operation”, your war on Ukraine, is an unprovoked strike against a sovereign nation with all of the outcomes of a terrorist attack – the needless maiming and killing of innocent people and wanton destruction. Except, in your case Mr Putin, it’s on a much greater scale.

How can you stand in judgement on someone else for their sins, but blindly dismiss your own?

Vlad also tried to pin the Crocus attack on the ‘Nazis’ in Kiev.

While on my hobby horses – I read this week of a call for hakas and anthems to be banned from rugby matches.

Really? Rugby would be better served by banning rolling mauls, tedious scrum setting and lineouts where’s there’s no real competition for the ball any more. Rugby should talk to league – they seem to know what a watchable, exciting and understandable product is.

When I went to school a Nazi was authoritarian, racist, brutal and extremely nationalistic. I think you tick all those boxes Vlad. So the real Nazi probably lives not far from Red Square.

Wendy Small, Ōmokoroa.