Russia FEW can fail to have been moved and disgusted by the scenes surrounding the downing of Malaysian Airline Flight MH17 over Eastern Ukraine — 298 passengers, ten of them British, including John Allen who died alongside his wife and three children. The possessions of the dead, scattered bags, clothes, rucksacks — the toys of small children — were prodded about the wasteland by Ukrainian separatists, blind to the sensitivities of death. Friends and family of the perished, already devastated by their loss, had to come to terms with the manner in which the aftermath of this terrible event has been handled. The brutal facts appear clear — a group of Ukrainian rebels in possession of a mobile anti-aircraft missile launcher fired a rocket at Flight MH17, mistaking it for a military aircraft. The destruction of this plane is just another horrific symptom of an increasing threat — Russia. In Ukraine, we have seen the annexation of Crimea and in the Eastern Ukraine ethnic Russians, who are in a majority, are pressing for their region to be subsumed by Russia. These tensions could still be resolved through negotiation — perhaps moving to a more federalist structure for the country in which the territorial integrity of Ukraine is preserved whilst regional sensitivities are accommodated. The West has already employed light touch sanctions but these are not working. Countries who are dependent upon Russia for gas (Germany) or who have lucrative arms deals with them (France) are less up for tougher measures — but we must find the collective will to act. A nation that flouts international law, disregards territorial sovereignty and is significantly culpable in the downing of a passenger jet carrying almost 300 people will not stop when minor penalties are employed against it — in the case of Russia we need to do more and soon.