We know this was not a war of your making, nor was it the fault of the Russian people, it was the choice of one crazy old man sitting behind a desk far away from everyone else. This is what happens when a tyrant remains in power too long, they trust no one and start to believe their own lies. Jealousy and madness are to blame, what else could explain a country committing such fratricide, destroying its own people and its own history? The last time a Russian army fought its way into Kyiv it was liberating the capital from Hitler’s Nazis now Putin is going in saying Nazis are still there? Madness. Seriously, did he have a stroke? Alzheimer’s? Whatever it is he has been in power too long.

Many of us who have no experience with upheaval have a hard time processing what is happening to you in this time where history is being made every hour by your people. You are frustrating Putin so much, he had no idea what your citizens and politicians were capable of. We all hope there is an off-ramp that he can take to say he won, then pull out and cede his demands to absorb Ukraine but that seems unlikely to happen until they lose their allies India and most importantly China. If only the Russian people would demonstrate as much bravery and commitment to their own freedom as your people have shown to theirs and deliver salvation by ousting Putin from office.

Many Russians must be starting to worry that as long as Putin is their leader, they have no future other than shame and a permanent “Putin Tax” from all the sanctions being imposed. Thousands are taking to the streets to protest Putin’s insane war. They’re doing this at the risk of their own safety and their push-back does make you wonder if the so-called fear barrier is being broken, and if a mass movement could eventually end Putin’s reign. Until then we need to all give him nothing less than hot hammered hell.

-Lance