I’ve dealt with Putin before: I know what it will take to defeat this brutal despot | Viktor Yushchenko

International solidarity is the best weapon we have against Russia's dictator. A united front is now more crucial than ever

• Viktor Yushchenko was the president of Ukraine from 2005 to 2010

Maksym Kurochkin is a playwright. For almost three years, he and 20 other Ukrainian playwrights had been planning to build a new theatre in the heart of Old Kyiv. The group found a magnificent old structure that they were busy renovating in order to open the Playwrights' theatre on 12 March. On 24 February, Maksym and his colleagues awoke to the horrific sound of bombs. 12 March came and went. Instead of planning a grand opening for a new theatre, Maksym is now examining military strategies to defeat the Russian invaders. Instead of a pen in his hand, he now carries a weapon.

It is two months since the Russian army illegally crossed our borders. They have been failing ever since in their attempts to invade Ukraine. Part of the reason for their failure is that they were not expecting to meet such fierce and heroic resistance, both from our sophisticated military and from territorial defenders like Maksym who, when faced with the reality of the Russian invasion, decided to take up arms and fight.