In February 2022, the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, ordered his army to invade Ukraine, a wealthy country on Russia's border, imitating New Zealand, England and the USA, who have done exactly the same in past decades.

British colonists in Auckland invaded the Waikato in the 1860s to seize the rich farmlands there, and New Zealand soldiers helped England invade two Boer states in Africa after rich deposits of gold and diamonds were found in 1899.

In the 1920s, England's RAF killed 5000 women and children bombing and strafing Iraqi villages, until England gained control of its oil fields, and the USA's oilman president followed suit in 2003, killing 50,000 Iraqi people. Putin has been following their example.

Born in 7 October 1952, Putin is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as the leader of Russia since 1999. Putin worked as a KGB foreign intelligence officer for 16 years, then moved to Moscow in 1996 to join the administration of president Boris Yeltsin, before being appointed as prime minister in August 1999.

During his first tenure as president, the Russian economy grew on average by seven percent per year, following a fivefold increase in the price of oil and natural gas. Putin led Russia during a war against Chechen separatists, and oversaw a war against Georgia. He then annexed Crimea and sponsored a war in eastern Ukraine with several military incursions made, resulting in international sanctions and a financial crisis in Russia. In February 2022, he launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine.
 
Under Putin's leadership, Russia has undergone democratic backsliding and a shift to authoritarianism. His rule has been characterized by endemic corruption, with political opponents jailed, independent media suppressed, and no free elections.

Until recently, Vladimir Putin had an estimated wealth equal to US$200 billion, but more recently this was revised to US$70 billion.
In November 2022, the net worth of rich individuals were -

US$200 Bn.
    Elon Musk, electric cars, rocket ships, a social network.

US$140 Bn.
    Bernard Arnault - French luxury goods.

US$125 Bn.
    Gautam Adani - Indian electric power supply,
    and Jeff Bezos - online sales, and rocket ships.

US$110 Bn.
    Bill Gates - business software, farmland and shares.

Veteran broadcaster, record producer and songsmith, including a Gold Record, a couple of number ones, our capital city's official song, and compositions for recording artists.

Among his many passion projects designed to encourage local song-smithery. In 1964 his proposal to establish "The New Zealand Music Awards" was accepted by the  NZBC resulting in the Loxene Golden Disc award.

Various Australiasian music-related sectors were then persuaded

to use Eddie's original proposal as a model for a wide range of awards. Thus the ARIA awards came into existence.

Put onto folksong.org.nz website Nov 2022