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"Our first democratically elected leader [in Russia], a goofy old politician, handed the reins of power to a serious young security officer in 1999. We love our strong men here. At first, Putin was enamored of you [America]. When he said in the early 2000s that he saw America as our “best partner” he meant it. When he said that the break-up of the U.S.S.R. was a tragedy, he used the term literally: massive human suffering. That line was followed by a far less quoted clause: “Anyone who wants to restore it is brainless.”

"Don’t get me wrong. I’m not justifying [Putin's] lust for power and destruction of Russia and Ukraine. I’m just sharing our perspective on a lost opportunity and the origins of the current nightmare."

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"[The young people] have a thirst and understanding for freedom and peace and don’t believe in tales of Western plots to destroy the fatherland. Unfortunately, they were compelled to demonstrate those values by leaving the country before and during mobilization.