@academicalnerd I wish to be able to cheer you up. I think it won't work today. My apologies young d'Artagnan.

The whole day I am struggling with my own emotions regarding the concept of collective guilt. People say: it's not me, but my government. I know very well. There were times when I said that about my own country. But the thing is, nobody from outside can change a government of a sovereign country (barring violence we see exactly now), only people from within can do it. In that sense the government and the people cannot be completely separated. So it's a responsibility of the people of the country to fix their government, nobody will do it for them. That's how we do it in representative democracies, you see. It's messy, it's slow, it's not heroic, but that's what it takes to be free and upright. Because if people do not act, they become implicitly complicit in their government's actions.

At the same time I feel deeply sorry for the brave people who were arrested today and over time in Moscow and St. Petersburg for saying what they feel about all this. I also feel sorry for all those who will unwillingly have to bear the consequences of what we on the other side now have to do: and that is to clearly name and shame what is going on, isolate, economically harm and engage in a strategy of attrition and at least wait it out - unless we are ready to escalate beyond even our imagination. Which from today morning is not an inconceivable possibility either.

> Re: hope to make sure it won’t be “mine” anymore.

I am afraid, that won't help either. Because one cannot run away from him/herself. Many emigres tried and did not succeed in that.

Best of luck there. Today is a sad day.