IT is Afghanistan that has often been called “the graveyard of empires”. But as Vladimir Putin ’s unprovoked war against Ukraine enters its second week, a possibility emerges. Will Ukraine turn out to be the graveyard of Vladimir Putin? Will Ukraine turn out to be the graveyard of Vladimir Putin? Getty As his war against Ukraine enters its second week Putin managed to unite Nato. Pictured are Russian military vehicles near the village of Oktyabrsky, Belgorod Region[/caption] The Russian President has been preparing for this conflict for years, perhaps decades. Over the past 12 months, he has been building up his forces on the Ukrainian borders. The world watched and waited, divided over whether he was mad enough to do it. Even those who believed he was definitely going to strike Ukraine tended to think he would try to seize only the country’s eastern, Russian-speaking areas. But no, mad Vlad decided to try to swallow the whole thing. Like a python trying to