Putin’s lies are crucial

BEFORE any military conflict there is a war of words - and over Ukraine it began before 2014 when Russia seized Crimea.

Since then Putin has been peddling propaganda throughout the West: Crimea is Russian, Ukrainian soldiers are Nazis, and British-trained commandos plan “false flag” attacks to incriminate Russia.

The aim, as ever, is to divide the West and

undermine our resolve to challenge Russia. The West needs narratives of its own.

Liz Truss tried to do this last week when she exposed a potential puppet candidate for Putin in Ukraine – only to undermine her message and create confusion. Our

leaders must manage information warfare.

Meanwhile British organisations are being warned to brace for cyberattacks. The only solution is for Western leaders to unite. Divided nations are easy targets.