IN January 1933, when Adolf Hitler was appointed German chancellor, he grabbed every opportunity to turn that country into a police State intent on European conquest and so-called racial purification.

The burning of the Reichstag in February 1933 by an unemployed Dutchman gave Hitler a platform to goosestep into atrocity as he and and his propaganda minister persuaded the German president that the attack on the Parliament was the harbinger to a communist uprising requiring the imposition of a state of emergency.

That led to what became known as the Reichstag Fire Decree under which fundamental human rights — such as free speech, freedom of assembly, and press freedom — were squashed. Additionally, the decree allowed the State and police to invade people’s privacy by censoring mail, monitoring phone conversations, and searching people’s homes without a warrant.

The iniquity worsened with the Nazis arresting and detaining anyone they viewed as an opponent, many of whom eventually disappeared.

Hitler, of course, driven by his demented ambition, invaded Poland in 1939, plunging the world into a war that lasted six years and which claimed the lives of an estimated 85 million people.

Since then, the world has seen leaders of Hitler’s ilk — men who are so consumed by ego and inane ideology that they will do anything to feed their self-interest. A few of those have emerged in this region, but more on them at another time.

Usually, you can tell when these individuals are starting to descend to despotism as they usurp laws to secure their stay in office.

Mr Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, did just that in April 2021 by signing a law allowing him to run for two more six-year terms when his current tenure ends in 2024. That could effectively keep him in office until 2036.

Interestingly, the law he signed limits any future president to two terms, but resets his term count.

Last week, Mr Putin descended further into authoritarian rule when he signed into law a Bill introducing jail terms of up to 15 years for spreading what he and his Government will define as “knowingly false information” about the Russian army, as they continue their invasion of neighbouring Ukraine, which last July he reportedly described as a fictitious State unworthy of sovereignty and forged out of historically Russian territory.

He also signed a Bill that allows fines or jail terms of up to three years for anyone calling for sanctions against Russia as Western nations have imposed harsh economic penalties on Moscow over the invasion.

Last week, Agence France Press ( AFP) reported that the past year has seen an unprecedented crackdown on independent and critical voices in Russia that only intensified after the start of the invasion.

Additionally, AFP told us that Russia’s media watchdog has restricted access to the BBC and other independent media websites and has blocked social media giant Facebook.

These are the actions of a tyrant who does not deserve to be running a country. The problem facing well-thinking Russians is that 2024 is a long way off, and by that time Mr Putin will likely inflict greater damage to Russia, its neighbours, and the global economy.

The dilemma, though, needs a democratic solution.