Is Putin Europe’s most dangerous leader since Hitler? He stands accused of ordering brutal assassinations and cyberattacks, as well as plotting the downfall of Western democracy.

This Sunday Vladimir Putin will stand for re-election as the President of Russia. In a nation with no credible opposition, and where dissenters can be assassinated, the result is beyond doubt.

And so the West must prepare for another six years of Putin at Russia’s helm. Many expect severe troubles ahead. Yesterday the The Daily Telegraph ’s front page bore a warlike exhortation for Britain to “bolster” its defences, while the The Financial Times claimed Putin imperils “peace and democracy in Europe”.

The danger Russia poses was put into sharp relief by the attempted assassination of former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. Yesterday the leaders of France, Germany, the US and the UK released a joint statement condemning Russia’s attack as a “clear violation” of international law which “threatens the security of us all”.

The statement makes particular mention of the deadly Novichok nerve agent the attackers used, claiming it was the “first offensive use of a nerve agent in Europe since the Second World War”.

Despite this incriminating evidence and international outrage, Putin merely smirks and denies everything.

And while he sits on stockpiles of nuclear warheads and chemical weapons, some think Putin’s ability to deny the brazenly obvious makes him even more dangerous.

When Russia invaded Crimea in 2014 (the first forcible land grab in Europe since 1945) Putin rubbished reports of heavily armed Russian soldiers operating in the region, saying they were “local volunteers”.

Russia has also been implicated in a “digital blitzkrieg” of cyberattacks against European nations; the destruction of a Malaysian Airways plane (killing 298 people); and attempts to hack the US presidential election.

For journalist Owen Matthews, Russia’s casual denial of involvement in these acts amounts to an “assault on the very idea that truth itself can exist”. And if nothing is true, then Putin can never be brought to account.

But does all of this make Putin the most dangerous European leader since Hitler?

Vlad guy

Nonsense, some argue. Putin is a personality cult puffed up by cowardly, yet high-profile, attacks on neighbours and rogue individuals. In truth, he is enfeebled by a stuttering economy and dwindling oil revenues — ruling his populace by fear rather than consent. Putin lashes out through weakness, not strength.

He must not be underestimated, others respond. Russia has invaded sovereign nations, tried to destabilise liberal democracies, and been implicated in violent assassinations — all on Putin’s watch. Throw in nuclear brinkmanship and the fostering of violent Russian nationalism, and Putin undoubtedly resembles one of Europe’s greatest threats.