‘In war, truth is the first casualty,’ is a quote first attributed to a Greek philosopher.

It sprang immediately to mind as I listened to a Russian MP telling Radio 4’s audience this week that it was Ukrainian guns shelling their own cities. This is an outrageous distortion of the facts, while Putin’s artillery bombards innocent civilians.

His poisonous web of deceit and disinformation is as hard to bear as the appalling pictures and stories emerging from the ruins of Ukraine’s cities. Putin justifies his ‘special military operation’ by claiming Russia is threatened by Ukraine, while at the same time promising to ‘de-nazify’ and ‘demilitarise’ the country.

This description of a 44 million-strong democracy, with a Jewish president, is utter nonsense.

Like Orwell’s Ministry of Truth, lies and propaganda drown out what’s really happening. Last week, Russia stifled free speech by condemning any journalist who spreads ‘fake news’ to 15 years in prison. Ordinary Russians face a news black-out, with Western agencies leaving, Russian outlets ceasing publication and even Russia Today’s editor-in-chief resigning.The BBC has resorted to short wave radio and the dark web to get its message through. Such events from a country, which creates ‘troll farms’ to influence and subvert social media in the west, should not surprise us.

Russia is accused of spending millions of covert funding undermining European fossil fuel production.

With fracking banned, North Sea Oil on virtual hold and Russian energy supplies at a premium, we must learn from this.

Meanwhile, Putin’s thugs continue to rain death and destruction on the Ukrainian people. What he has not taken into account is the dogged human spirit of this nation which, I trust, will prevail in the end.