Because I have family in harm's way in Ukraine (I've written about them on Medium), my feelings about Russia are intense, but yours are even stronger. Yet human beings gave birth to Russian art, Russian literature ... surely, somehow, this spirit must burn somewhere inside the Russian people.

Thousands have bravely protested. I want to believe that that tide will swell. But you know the country better than me, and it sounds like you don't believe that will happen.