Trump’s Insistence to Discuss Peace Deal Falls on Deaf Ears in Kremlin

It seems as if President Donald Trump’s recurring pressure on Ukraine and Russia to return to the negotiating table is falling on deaf ears in the Kremlin. Despite Trump’s immoral and irrational policy of addressing parity between victim and attacker, Ukraine continues to feel the brunt of Russia’s obnoxious disregard for global pleas to cease its aggression.

Russia’s latest massive airborne attack against unarmed Ukrainian civilian targets triggered a nationwide air raid alert at around 3 AM, Saturday, March 7, local time (8 PM EST) to warn people against incoming projectiles. Civilians in Kyiv and Kharkiv again suffered Russia’s bloody wrath. Russia’s arsenal of Iranian drones and missiles is apparently unlimited.

Russian troops struck a five-story building in the city of Kharkiv with a ballistic missile, killing 10 people, including two children, and injuring at least 15, local authorities reported.

Russia launched 480 drones, including Shahed-type unmanned aerial vehicles, and 29 missiles, including hypersonic Zircon anti-ship missile and Iskander-M ballistic missiles, targeting energy infrastructure across Ukraine, the Ukrainian Air Force reported. Ukrainian forces downed 453 drones and 19 missiles, the statement read.

Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said the Russian attack on the city killed a teacher and her nine-year-old son, as well as a 13-year-old girl and her mother. Among the injured in Kharkiv are two boys, aged six and 11, and a 17-year-old girl, according to Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov. The number of victims could grow as rescue operations are still underway. Eleven people are believed to be trapped under the rubble. Syniehubov said fires were reported as a result of a ballistic missile attack.

A secondary school in Kharkiv’s Kyivskyi district was damaged in a Russian strike. The building has been damaged for the third time since Russia's full-scale invasion, with about 160 windows blown out and classrooms damaged.

“Since the start of 2022, this is the third time our windows have been blown out like this. But it’s the first time on this scale. There is a huge amount of damage. Not a single classroom has been left undamaged,” Karina Kruk, deputy head of the institution, speaking to Suspilne Kharkiv, a local branch of Suspilne, Ukraine’s national public broadcaster.

Two people were injured in the town of Chuhuiv in Kharkiv Oblast after a Russian drone attacked a home at around 1:20 AM, according to State Emergency Service.

“There must be a response from partners to these savage strikes against life,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. “Russia has not abandoned its attempts to destroy Ukraine’s residential and critical infrastructure, and therefore support must continue.”

The attack came hours after Zelenskyy said he had visited the eastern front on Friday.

Zelenskyy condemned the attack and called for an international response. However, this Russian attack was again met with silence from the White House. Zelenskyy said that Russia struck Ukraine overnight with 29 missiles and 480 drones, targeting energy facilities in Kyiv and other central regions and with damage reported in at least seven other locations across the country.

According to preliminary data, air defense systems downed 19 missiles and 453 drones, with hits from 9 missiles and 26 strike drones recorded at 22 locations.

In Kharkiv, in Ukraine’s northeast, emergency workers were combing the rubble, looking for survivors. Among the dead are a primary school teacher and her son, a second-grade student, who were killed in their home and an eighth-grader who also died with her mother, according to the city's mayor, Ihor Terekhov.

“There must be a response from partners to these savage strikes against life,” Zelenskyy said on social media. “Russia has not abandoned its attempts to destroy Ukraine’s residential and critical infrastructure, and therefore support must continue. We count on active work with the European Union to guarantee greater protection for our people. I am grateful to everyone who helps strengthen our protection.”

In Kyiv, 1,905 buildings in the Pecherskyi, Dniprovskyi, Holosiivskyi and Solomianskyi districts have been left without heating following a Russian attack on the night of March 6-7 and damage to a critical infrastructure facility.

This includes some high-rise apartment blocks in the Darnytskyi and Dniprovskyi districts, where it is not yet possible to restore the heat supply due to critical damage to the Darnytsia Combined Heat and Power Plant, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. He stated that utility services are working to restore heating to these residential buildings as quickly as possible.

Zelenskyy visited Donetsk Oblast on March 6, meeting Ukrainian brigades defending key eastern cities as Kyiv warns Russia may be preparing a new offensive this spring.

“The Russians are not abandoning the war, and here, in Donetsk Oblast, they are preparing an offensive for the spring,” Zelenskyy said on X.

Donetsk Oblast, on the border with Russia, remains one of the war’s most active front-line regions, as Russian forces continue pressing Ukrainian defensive positions around Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad – two key logistics hubs west of Russian-occupied Donetsk.

“It is important that our positions are strong. It is important that our brigades are adequately supplied,” the Zelenskyy said. “Our warriors are holding their ground with dignity. And this is how our country, our diplomacy, and our people will hold strong as well.”

At least two people were killed and eight others injured in Russian attacks against Ukraine over the previous day, local authorities said on March 6.

Russian forces launched 141 different types of drones against Ukraine overnight, of which roughly 100 were Shahed-type unmanned aerial vehicles, the Air Force said on March 6. It reported downing 111 of them.

In Kherson Oblast, one person was killed, and four others were wounded by Russian attacks over the past day, regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported on March 6.

In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Russia attacked three districts of the region with artillery, drones, and "Uragan" multiple launch rocket systems, regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha reported on March 6.  He said three people were wounded, including a 15-year-old girl.  

Curiously, after publically berating Ukraine and its President for pursuing a war that it cannot win because of Russia’s superiority, President Trump reportedly begged Zelenskyy for help in dealing with Iranian drones.

“We received a request from the United States for specific support in protection against shaheds in the Middle East region,” Zelenskyy was quoted as saying by the Kyiv Post. “I gave instructions to provide the necessary means and ensure the presence of Ukrainian specialists who can guarantee the required security.”

Later on Thursday last week, Zelenskyy appeared to respond to Trump’s comments about the peace negotiations with Russia – saying that Kyiv’s priority is “to do everything to end the war.”

“We will continue the diplomatic process when our American partners are ready to work as we agreed – bilateral formats with them, trilateral formats with Russia, as well as work with the Europeans.”

“Right now, practically all of the world’s attention is focused on the situation around Iran, and no matter how long the hostilities last there, we must be ready to resume diplomacy at any moment. That’s exactly how the Ukrainian team works,” he added. “Ukraine helps partners who help ensure our security and protect the lives of our people,” Zelenskyy said. “Glory to Ukraine!”

Trump apparently decided to quickly deal with criminal Venezuela and Iran but he’s still in a quandary about the true nature of Russia. Who is the greater threat to global peace and security? The answer is Russia.

8 Countries Condemn IPC for Supporting Russia Paralympic Winter Games 

Eight European countries condemn IPC for allowing Russia and Belarus to compete in 2026 Winter Paralympic Games. Expressing their complete support for Ukraine, the eight nations also deplored the decision to ban Ukrainian athletes from wearing uniforms that displayed maps of these countries.

Following is their full text:

Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Sweden firmly condemn the 

recent decision by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games under their national flags, also allowing the display of their anthems and state symbols. This decision undermines international efforts to isolate Russia and Belarus in response to Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine.

We also deplore the decision by the IPC to prohibit Ukrainian athletes from wearing costumes featuring a map of Ukraine. Misrepresenting a map of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders as propaganda is deeply concerning and mocks the principles of international law.

We express our full solidarity with Ukraine and its people. We jointly call on the IPC to reconsider its decisions and call on Member States’ authorities to consider boycotting the Opening Ceremony of the Games. We support Italy as the Host Nation of the Games in its call on the IPC to revoke its decisions, thus aiming to prevent the display of the state symbols of the aggressor state and its accomplice during the Games.

Zelenskyy Declares He’ll never Surrender Donbas to Russia

Despite Russian demands that Ukraine cede its land to Muscovy and Washington’s acceptance of such a gambit to end Moscow’s latest aggression against Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has again categorically declared that he would never surrender Donbas to terrorist Russia.  

Zelenskyy said Ukraine is not prepared to give up Donbas, as the region holds the country’s strongest defensive strongholds. Withdrawing troops would open the way for Russian forces to advance deeper into Ukraine, he said in an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.

Responding to a question about whether Ukraine would be willing to abandon Donbas in exchange for security guarantees from allies, Zelenskyy emphasized that “Russians do not want foreign troops in Ukraine, and Europe must be firmer on this issue.”

“I am not going to question whether there are foreign troops in Russia — for example, 10,000 North Korean soldiers. I do not understand why Moscow should decide which troops are stationed on our land,” the president insisted.

“But I want to state clearly: I will never abandon Donbas and the 200,000 Ukrainians who live there. Why should I do that? Because Putin imposes it as a condition for peace? And will he immediately put forward new demands? No, I will not tolerate that,” he added.

When asked whether negotiations included exchanging Russian-unoccupied areas of Donbas for territories captured by Russia in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions, the president stressed that “these lands cannot be compared.”

“First of all, when we talk about border territories — any border territories — they are very difficult for the enemy to hold. The Russians clearly understand they won’t be able to keep them, and the time will come when we will push them out. So this is not a gift,” Zelenskyy said.

At the same time, he noted that Donbas remains a key objective for Russia. The president emphasized that Russia’s strategic goals have hardly changed since the start of the war.

“You could say their appetite has decreased slightly, but only for now. Therefore, we are not talking about exchanging small border territories for the large territory of Donbas or the Donetsk region that we currently control,” Zelenskyy said.

He added that if the aggressor state chooses to withdraw from negotiations, Ukraine will seek another way to end the war.

Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine’s best defensive positions are located in Donbas, and if Ukrainian troops withdraw, Russian forces would gain full freedom of action toward the center of the country.

“Let’s imagine it’s not Europeans but Americans who send their troops — for how long?” he said.

Zelenskyy also drew a parallel with the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan.

“What will happen if, in 10 years, it’s not Trump but another US president who decides to withdraw troops? We need a strong Ukrainian defense line,” he concluded.

In the meantime, Russia’s war against Ukraine continues along with its killings.

At least six people were killed and 35 others were injured in Russian attacks against Ukraine over the past day, local authorities said on March 3.

Russia launched 136 drones at Ukraine overnight, the Ukrainian Air Force said, reporting that Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 127 unmanned aircraft. At least five drones evaded defenses and struck three locations. The fall of debris was recorded in three locations.

At least three people were killed and 30 others injured in Russian attacks against Ukraine over the past day, local authorities said on March 4.

Russia launched 149 drones at Ukraine overnight, the Air Force said, reporting that Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 129. At least 19 drones evaded defenses and struck 15 locations. The fall of debris was recorded at one location.

Apparently Iran saved some of its drones for Russians to use against Ukraine.

Russians Brutally Execute 337+ Ukrainian POWs

Russia has “deliberately and brutally” executed at least 337 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) as of the end of 2025, Ukraine’s Human Rights Ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, said on March 3 during a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council, according to The Kyiv Independent.

“Russia has turned torture into state policy and uses it as a weapon,” Lubinets said in a post on Telegram.

Lubinets added that, according to UN data, 95% of Ukrainian POWs are systematically tortured in captivity.

Lubinets called on the international community to increase pressure on Russia, ensure that every crime is fully documented, and bring those responsible to justice.

“This issue is critically important — the world cannot stand aside,” he said.

The mistreatment of prisoners of war constitutes a violation of international humanitarian law, including the 1949 Geneva Conventions.

The European Union, condemning the execution of Ukrainian soldiers, stated in 2024: Executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russia are increasing, with at least 177 prisoners of war having died in Russian captivity since the beginning of Russia’s war of aggression, according to reliable sources. Nine Ukrainian prisoners of war were reportedly shot by Russian troops in the Kursk region on 10 October. On 1 October, 16 prisoners of war were reportedly executed by Russia in Donetsk oblast after their surrender.

“The European Union strongly condemns these killings, which are another abhorrent example of Russia’s brutalization of the Ukrainian people. These cases are appalling and represent grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions. They demonstrate Russia’s continued and systematic disregard for international law, and in particular, international humanitarian law. Russia has clear obligations under the United Nations Charter and international law it must fulfill.

“That Russian public figures publicly call for the execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war, and glorify these executions, calling for more, exposes yet again the real nature of the regime in the Kremlin.

“The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) already confirmed the systematic use of a wide range of different methods of torture, including sexual violence, against Ukrainian prisoners of war by their Russian captors. The EU also condemns the prisoners’ lack of access to the outside world and the denial of humanitarian access for independent monitors.

“The EU reiterates its firm commitment to holding to account all perpetrators and accomplices of Russian war crimes against Ukraine.”

Russian torture and mistreatment of Ukrainian POWs is a repeated crimes against humanity

The HRMMU reported that Ukrainian soldiers had their personal belongings stolen during admission into POW camps, and that the prisoners were taken to the camps into overcrowded buses, with little to no access to water and toilets; many were blindfolded with their wrists bound with duct tape in a way that left many with wounds in these areas. The same was reported inside the camps themselves, with many POWs reporting overcrowded cells, as well as a lack of food, hygiene and contact with their families.

Humiliation of captured Ukrainian soldiers

Videos showing Ukrainian prisoners of war being forced to sing pro-Russian songs or carrying bruises have attracted concerns about their treatment. Dmytro Lubinets claimed that Russians forcibly shaved heads of female Ukrainian prisoners.

Ukrainian prisoner of war and human rights activist Maksym Butkevych was sentenced to 13 years in prison. The vast majority of Ukrainian prisoners who had in the hands of the Russian and Russian-affiliated armed groups reported that they had been interned in dire conditions and subjected to torture and ill-treatment, including beatings, threats, dog attacks, mock executions, as well as electric and positional torture. Several women and male prisoners were threatened with sexual violence and subjected to degrading treatments and enforced nudity. A male prisoner reportedly had been pulled with ropes tied around genitalia. The UN agency also collected information about nine possible cases of death during the “admission procedure” to the internment camps.

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture said in September 2023 that Russia’s use of torture “is not random, aberrant behavior” but “orchestrated as part of state policy to intimidate, instill fear or punish to extract information and confessions.”

Polish Minister: If Ukraine Falls to Russia so will Europe

Poland’s Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said in a major policy speech last week that Ukraine’s defensive war against Russia is “our war” and warned that if Ukraine loses the danger from Russia will only grow, reported Intellinews.com.

“This war will decide which actor becomes the third pillar of the new global balance of power alongside the United States and China — whether it is Russia or the European Union,” Sikorski said.

It would be a serious mistake if this war were treated as a distant or secondary issue, Sikorski said. A Russian victory would shift the burden directly to NATO’s eastern flank and increase the financial and military cost of deterrence for Poland and its allies, he said.

“If Ukraine loses, the danger from Russia will only grow ... In 2022-25, the EU and its member states supported Ukraine with nearly €200 billion ($234,095,000,000. Defending NATO’s eastern flank in the event of a Russian aggression would have cost €1,200 billion (1,404,660,000.00) at least,” Sikorski said.

To ensure that Russia does not consider attacking Poland or NATO in Eastern Europe, Poland must maintain high defense spending and build an “army strong enough to deter Russia,” Sikorski said.

The minister cited defense spending in this year’s budget at 4.8% of GDP, the highest proportion in NATO, Sikorski said.

Ukraine’s ambition to join the European Union is part of that strategic calculation, Sikorski said. Enlargement would anchor democratic reform in Kyiv and extend stability eastwards, however accession will require meeting strict criteria and sustained reform, Sikorski said.

Integrating Ukraine into European structures also enhances Poland’s long-term security, Sikorski pointed out.

Sikorski praised Ukrainians who have settled in Poland since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Ukrainians have high employment rates, contribute taxes and social security payments and help fill labor shortages across sectors from services to manufacturing, he said. Their contribution to public finances exceeds the value of benefits received, Sikorski added that solidarity has strengthened, rather than weakened, the Polish economy.

Continuing about the effects of Russia aggression in Ukraine, former Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė told The New Voice of Ukraine who should be responsible for Ukraine’s security after the war ends, outlining the roles of allies and long-term guarantees needed to prevent renewed aggression on February. 27.

Ukraine must receive security guarantees that would serve as a real deterrent to the Russian dictator, Ingrida Šimonytė said, especially as Vladimir Putin seeks to influence the debate on security guarantees in order to make them nominal rather than substantive.

“I think they must be real legal commitments. Not another Budapest Memorandum, which is a declaration of goodwill. This must be a political commitment. They must be ratified by parliaments. These must be real obligations of the participating states,” she added.

At the same time, Šimonytė emphasized that the main security guarantee will always be the Ukrainian army. “This is the security guarantee that has worked throughout these four years. Despite the fact that Russia is larger and has more manpower,” she said. “The Ukrainian army is well equipped and well trained, with all the new technologies it has managed to develop during the war.”

Another example of the former captive nations’ fear and distrust of Russia is Estonia’s plan to install up to 600 concrete bunkers along its eastern land border as part of the joint Baltic Defense Line with Latvia and Lithuania.

The Estonian Center for Defense Investments (ECDI) and Latvia’s Ministry of Defense have launched a public procurement for the bunkers. The total cost is estimated at €60 million, with about €30 million allocated for this year, ECDI spokesperson Krismar Rosin said.

“The first Baltic Defense Line bunkers have been delivered, and installation is proceeding gradually in Southeastern and Northeastern Estonia,” ECDI deputy director Asko Kivinuk said. “The experience gained gives us the confidence to move forward with the larger-scale procurement.”

Estonia has also deployed all acquired barriers to pre-deployment areas and is continuing work on the defense line’s anti-tank ditches. The ECDI aims to complete the Baltic Defense Line at its currently planned scale by the end of 2027.

The initiative is designed to halt a potential military attack right at the eastern borders of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. 

President Trump: The Issue Isn’t Rocket Science

Ever since President Donald Trump got involved in the negotiations to end Russia’s war against Ukraine I have noticed that the White House team didn’t understand why Moscow invaded Ukraine, why Russia is aggressive against Ukraine, why it wants sovereign Ukrainian land, and why Putin hates Zelenskyy. Consequently, as I have written, this conundrum in the mind of the American president has lead him and his team to enunciate a fictitious state of parity between the Nazi-like dictator of Russia and the democratically elected leader of Ukraine, which Trump falsely believes can help resolve the issue and bring peace to the region. Trump browbeating Zelenskyy is unjust and accentuates the American president’s ignorance.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio posed the rhetorical question in the European Pravda of February 26, 2026, sympathetically bemoaning that President Trump does not understand why Ukraine and Russia cannot reach an agreement to end the war.

Rubio was asked by journalists why the American president’s frustration appears to be directed equally at both Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin – though he does arm twist Zelenskyy more than Putin to come to the table and accept a deal – given that Russia continues to strike civilian infrastructure and civilians across Ukraine.

He replied that Trump’s frustration is general in nature, as reflected in his previous statements.

“He just doesn't understand how two countries in such a vicious, horrific, and bloody war cannot reach an understanding on how to end it. He wants to see it ended, and he's done a lot. He's invested a lot of political capital in this,” Rubio said.

He might have invested a lot in the war’s end but that investment wasn’t backed up by knowledge and comprehension of the issues going back centuries. Simply stated, Russia has been hell bent on invading and subjugating Ukraine while Ukrainians have had to defend their nation against Russian tsarists, communists and “putinists.” Trump doesn’t know that, doesn’t want to know or doesn’t care about that important historical fact.

Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s Presidential Office, laid out the issues on the proverbial historical table, pointing out that Russia’s war against Ukraine is rooted in centuries-old imperial ambitions that have not changed despite shifts in regime, like I have been saying.

In an interview with the Arab outlet Al-Modon published in the February 27 edition of the Kyiv Post, Budanov stated that lasting security for Ukraine and Europe will only be possible when Russia ceases to exist as an empire, while firmly rejecting any territorial concessions to Moscow.

Budanov noted that the war has effectively lasted 12 years – since 2014 – longer than the First and Second World Wars combined. Over that time, he said, Russia has grown weaker economically, politically and demographically, but its imperial ambitions have remained intact.

“The change of regimes in Russia has not changed its essence,” he said, adding that neither the tsarist, Soviet nor current system prioritized improving citizens’ lives – tsarist, soviet and putinist.

“The policy of the current Russian president is not much different from the policy of the tsarist or Soviet eras,” he said.

According to Budanov, Russia will not transform through internal processes alone. “We should create conditions under which Russia as an empire will disappear,” he said, suggesting that several regional nation-states could eventually emerge in its place. “Only then will Ukraine, Europe and the whole world feel more secure.”

He stressed that Ukrainians will not accept territorial concessions. The issue of territory, he said, remained central during recent trilateral talks in Geneva involving the US. “Territories are the main issue. Everything else is secondary,” Budanov said, expressing confidence that all occupied lands would eventually be liberated.

The Kremlin’s ultimate goal, he added, is not limited to individual regions but encompasses all of Ukraine. “It is naive to think that Moscow, having seized some territories without a fight, will abandon its expansionist ambitions. Therefore, the only real deterrent is the Ukrainian army.”

Indeed, Moscow’s appetite for Ukraine – its land and people – cannot be slaked by concessions or other forms of appeasement. That’s why Zelenskyy demands that the free world give Ukraine security guarantees that would make Russia suffer painfully if it violates the deal anytime in the future.

Zelenskyy is justly adamant about not surrendering Ukrainian land to Russia for any reason. “Honestly, I do not believe that this is all that Russia demands. Our withdrawal from Donbas, and then the war will end. Russia is Russia, and you cannot trust them,” Zelenskyy said expressing his steadfast decision about no concessions. 

Grin and Bear It or Lie Back and Enjoy It

You may have wondered where are the Russian liberal, democratic human rights activists, the darlings of the Western media, and why aren’t they condemning their despotic führer?

Are there so few of them left that you only hear of them when they’re exiled, arrested or killed, depleting further their sparse ranks?

I’m bemoaning their meagre membership but I am curious about the likes of Andrey Makarevich, who wanted to organize a million man march in Mosco; Alexei Navalny, who died in prison; Boris Nemtsov killed on a bridge, Anna Politkovskaya killed in the entryway to her apartment, and others. As famous as they were, there weren’t enough of them to stand up and depose Putin or pass the mantle to the next generation.

The Guardian in Great Britain also wondered in its February 22, 2026, edition. The newspaper stated: “The strategy of Russia’s liberal elite is clear: make your peace with Putin. This is how they survive.”

So it seems as if they went underground ideologically rather than challenge him.

Twelve years into the latest Russian invasion of Ukraine as well as seizure of Crimea and Luhansk and Donetsk, Russia’s intellectual elite has shown no sign of resisting the very difficult spot that Putin placed them in by acting without their consultation. Instead, the so-called dissidents or wannabe dissidents have largely adapted, reshaping itself in ways that ensure its survival in what increasingly looks like a state of permanent conflict. They also boast of the proper Soviet political lineage. But they’re nowhere near the previous generation’s courage of Andrei Sakharov, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Andrei Amalrik, Liudmyla Alekseyeva and others. They naively fought for a regime change, for a Kremlin with a human face, not realizing that Russia itself breeds multilateral despotism. They fought against Putin not against the evil of Russia.

The newspaper used as examples of this disappearing act Nikita Mikhalkov and Olga Lyubimova, current minister of culture of Russia.

Mikhalkov’s father, Sergei, wrote the Soviet national anthem under Joseph Stalin, rewrote it during the thaw and revised it again under Putin. The son would have had an easy time of joining the political elite. Nikita, now 80, is a clearcut imperialist and a close ally of Putin.

Olga Lyubimova was more colorful in her explanation as she struggles between the two lifestyles—brave and not; official or unseen.

The Guardian wrote that as a prominent and well-connected member of Russia’s elite, Lyubimova is perhaps the clearest example of how that elite has adapted to Moscow’s aggressive, imperial reality. She started her career in the early 2000s as an aspiring television journalist, but from the early days relied on her connections with Mikhalkov and the Russian Orthodox Church. And yet she happily mixed with Moscow liberals – in the 2000s it still appeared possible to make your career without thinking too much about the Kremlin. Many in Russia were once part of this group, the Guardian pointed out.

Some of her friends and acquaintances also had the proper pedigree as descendants of prominent Soviet families and felt nostalgic for the status they had lost with the collapse of the Soviet Union. As journalists, many reported from post-Soviet hotspots in the 1990s – South Ossetia, Abkhazia, but also Serbia – and became convinced of the existence of a large US conspiracy against the Russian empire and its traditional allies.

And most of them, being ambitious, wanted a role in Russian history. But how can they penetrate it. They became convinced that in a country such as Russia, this could only be achieved by serving the ruler: you are either “in” or “out” – and if you are out, you are a loser. There’s no other way. They had embraced this logic before 2022. Now, in a time of repression targeting many Russian state institutions – including the culture ministry – this logic feels sounder still. So what can they do? Do they deceive themselves? In their minds it comes down to realizing that it doesn’t pay to tangle to Putin.

But it was Lyubimova who probably offered the most succinct explanation of why people like her – neither narrow-minded nor brainwashed – chose to side with the Kremlin. After all that would be their salvation rather than betrayal. When Moscow was deeply shaken by mass protests in 2010-11 against Putin’s return to the Kremlin, Lyubimova’s liberal friends joined the demonstrations. She abstained. She responded by publishing online what she called Lyubimova’s manifesto for surviving in this brutal Russia:

“I lie on my back, spread my legs, breathe deeply, and even try to enjoy it.”

Now that’s a quote that she’ll be proud to show her descendants.