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Vladimir Putin grew up in 'brute, almost Darwinian conditions'. But his skills as a master manipulator would take him far.

It has now been a year since Russia, my birthplace, invaded Ukraine. For 365 days, we have been waking up to news of Russian missile strikes, bombings, murders, torture and rape. It has been 365 days of shame and confusion, of wanting to turn away but needing to know what is happening, of watching Russians become "ruscists", "Orks" or "putinoids". For 365 days, the designation "Russian-American", previously straightforward, has felt like a contradiction in terms.

After the end of the Cold War, Russia seemed like the freest country in the world. It was also believed to be a country capable of repentance. The fact that nobody was called to answer for the communist regime’s crimes was viewed as proof of our collective desire for national healing, rather than as a deliberate effort by the new authorities to clear themselves of any blame.

Russian culture has been besmirched by people whose atrocities in Ukraine have negated their ancestors’ achievements.

From the blog of James R. Russell at The Times of Israel