Ukraine: To cease, or not to fire??

And now what? Let us face the past, the present and the future with honesty, with respect for all, with hope for the future. And learn.
First things first, and as usual, thoughts for the families of the victims in the Ukraine conflict, be they Russians, Ukrainians, DPR Koreans, Polish, French, British, Americans, Danish, Germans or whoever else was involved in this sorry affair. Russian mothers, grandmothers, Ukrainian mothers, grandmothers. Owners of pets. Those whose homes were destroyed, be they Russians or Ukrainians, those whose jobs and livelihoods were taken away, be they Ukrainians or Russians.
Secondly, looking through social media and the MainStream Media, it is as shocking as it is depressing to read the media slant, the biased reporting and the one-sidedness that this conflict has engendered, where “Putin” is seen as some kind of madman who initially was “ill” and suddenly decided on a whim to invade Ukraine; on the other side, a squeaky clean sovereign nation savagely attacked by a monster without any blame at all. A pristine maiden raped and butchered by a sadistic ogre.