villainy

While Russian population's on the wane
minorities--by contrast--only rise.
So Putin's snatching toddlers in Ukraine
to man an empire their blood-kin despise.
A conscript's motivation's not the same
as theirs defending fam'ly, hearth, and home.
An army's compromised by its own shame
when staking claim to land that's not its own.
The Argentines have seen this play before;
adopted children rarely learn the truth.
Atrocious booty of a dirty war
when thugs appropriate opponents' youth.
Autocracy in its decrepit stage
pursues a policy of bygone age.