I have grown weary of Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

The deluge of news emanating from there over the past few years has been horrifying. But it has also served to bring back memories of the remarkable months I spent living and working in Moscow in 1993. I’ve written at length about some of those experiences: the funny ones, the heartwarming ones, and the frankly terrifying ones.

Lately, though, I’ve had to admit that, while I would love nothing better than to turn back the clock and revisit those days, I’m actually glad that I can’t. The place that I once called my “second home” is not the Moscow I knew and grew to love. And it goes beyond political considerations.

This is the Moscow I carry in my mind:

And this:

The stately building on the left is where I lived and worked, on the outskirts of the city. These are current photographs from Google, and the building itself doesn’t appear to have changed much. The bank and post office are still there on the ground floor, though the pharmacy, restaurant and nail salon appear to be new — or newer than 33 years, at any rate. And the three big buildings in the background were just holes in the ground when I left.

But just down the road (about a six-minute drive, according to Google Maps), in what was primarily another residential area, is now this:

It’s described as a mixed-use development, encompassing residential, business, commercial, and entertainment venues. And, while I am sure some of the locals appreciate the convenience, I am equally certain that the majority of the neighborhood’s original residents can’t afford what Kuntsevo Plaza has to offer.

Yes, I know we’re living in a whole new era with a new generation in charge. And I know that things change; they have changed here in the U.S. as well. But I like to remember Moscow as it was in 1993: full of optimism for a better future following the collapse of the Soviet Union, but still holding fast to the old Russian traditions, and what has long been described — perhaps a bit over-romantically — as “the Russian soul.”

If I were to return today, I would miss the small neighborhood shops where people were thrilled to meet an American who spoke Russian (however badly); the kiosks selling everything from ice cream to caviar to souvenirs; the endless talks around the kitchen table about politics, art, music, the price of vegetables, and more politics; the girls with armsful of peonies, happy to share them with an American lady; the Russian “mafiosi” who treated me with respect because I was someone’s mother; and the home cooking that transported me back to my childhood years in my grandmother’s kitchen.

Those things, or some of them, probably still exist in the hinterlands. But likely not so much in Moscow, or St. Petersburg, or any of the larger cities. It’s partly the natural result of technological advancement, of course. But it’s more than that. It’s a change in outlook, in attitude, in the way people have turned inward as they communicate less in person and more through hand-held “smart” devices.

It’s not just happening in Russia, of course. But perhaps it’s more noticeable there because they were so far behind to begin with, and caught up so quickly. Unfortunately, as the reforms of the ‘90s opened up the entire world to a people who had been closed off for so long, they absorbed some of the worst of the West along with the best.

And that is what I’m glad I’m not there to see today. I’d rather remember it as it was, a generation ago, when I sat around a table with a group of Russian school teachers, slamming down shot after shot of ice-cold vodka and toasting Russian-American friendship. Or when I watched the wonder on the faces of little children experiencing their first opera at the Bolshoi. Or when a mother with her hands full of groceries handed her daughter off to me as we hopped onto the escalator in the Metro station.

That was my Moscow, and I miss it . . . but I will always be grateful to have known it when I did.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/8/26

Today is Vladimir Putin’s 74th birthday.

He began his celebrations last night by killing 18 people, including four children (three of them just a year old), in an attack on Pryluky in the Chernihiv region of Ukraine . . .

. . . and ending the lives of at least two others in Kyiv . . .

. . . racking up a total of 20 to 24 civilian deaths and countless injuries in an overnight series of barrages across Ukraine.

Still, in the spirit of international comradeship, I feel I would be remiss if I failed to send my birthday greetings to this man who has given so much to others. I have no missiles or drones to offer, and he already has more material wealth than most of us could ever dream of; but I do have these wishes for his future:

> I do not wish death or injury on anyone. But we are all destined to shuffle off this mortal coil at some point; and in Vlad’s case, I hope that his final moments, whenever they may arrive, bring him an epiphany: a sudden, total realization of the ignominious nature of the life he has led and the misery he has caused, along with an overwhelming, unbearable feeling of empathy for each and every one of his victims.

> I wish him a sense of loss for the life he might have lived with the opportunities he has been given.

> And, in whatever time he has left on this Earth, I wish him abject failure in every aspect of his life: a rapid, crushing defeat in his war against Ukraine; a coup that removes him from office and deprives him of every bit of his wealth and power; and banishment to the farthest reaches of Siberia, with only his “brain,” Aleksandr Dugin, for company.

Finally, when he is gone, I wish his name to be erased from the annals of history. I believe that the worst punishment one can inflict on a tyrant — worse than becoming an object of scorn and hate — is to be treated as though he never existed at all.

Happy birthday, Volodya.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/7/26

When Bob Dylan sang, “The Times They Are A-changin’,” he had no way of knowing how true those words would still be some six decades later.

Since that song was released in 1964, we have lived through societal, technological, and geopolitical changes that would have seemed like science fiction back then. Much of it has been for the better . . . but not all.

The world today is facing numerous new dangers of a sort undreamt of in 1964: climate change, drone warfare, artificial intelligence, Donald Trump . . .

And I have come to think that the one kind of change we truly need is a change in direction, back to the days when our government, while not perfect, still worked for us, and not against us; when our elected officials — or the majority of them, at any rate — still tried to uphold their oath to the Constitution; and when corruption was rooted out and punished, not ignored or even rewarded.

In today’s increasingly authoritarian world, it often seems impossible to imagine a turn-around of such magnitude. Yet famed anthropologist and author Margaret Mead never lost hope in the possibility, saying:

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

As we approach the U.S. midterm elections in just 27 days, her words seem particularly relevant. We Americans of voting age are no “small group” — we are legion. The question is: Are we thoughtful enough and committed enough to make the changes we need?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/7/26

In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the dying Mercutio blames his fate on the long-standing feud between the Montague and Capulet families, and issues his last wish for both clans:

“A plague o’ both your houses!
They have made worms’ meat of me: I have it,
And soundly too: your houses!”

Every now and then, the forces of Nature — without any help or encouragement from Mercutio or anyone else — descend upon some part of the Earth with unspeakable vengeance: a great flood, drought, war, or — perhaps worst of all because of its unknown origin — a new pestilence such as the Black Plague of the 14th century, the Spanish Flu of 1918-20, or the more recent COVID-19 pandemic.

And sometimes we humans do it to ourselves. A classic example might be the explosion of the nuclear reactor at Chernobyl in the Soviet Union in 1986. While no one intentionally caused the reactor to malfunction, negligence was certainly the primary factor. Archives show that there had been a known radiation leak that was covered up “to prevent panic and provocative rumours.” But worse yet was the reaction on the part of the Soviet government following the explosion.

For two full days, the incident was kept secret while workers and firemen — some 31 of whom died in the immediate aftermath — were sent in to try to contain the radiation. It was only when Sweden detected an increase in radiation levels that the truth became obvious; and even then, the Kremlin tried to downplay the seriousness of the disaster. Some 4,000 deaths have been attributed to the effects of long-term radiation exposure.

*. *. *

This week, a young Russian woman died in the Irkutsk region of Siberia of an as-yet unconfirmed disease. The 28-year-old laboratory technician, Daria Shipilova, worked in the Anti-Plague Research Institute, where she routinely handled and studied potentially deadly pathogens, including pneumonic plague. Immediately following her death, and even before taking steps to protect public health, the Kremlin set into motion its usual cover-up procedures.

First, 189 individuals across local medical facilities were placed in isolation and denied outside contact. The area hospital was locked down. Official statements were limited to vague references to a “particularly dangerous infection” or “pneumonia of unknown etiology.” [Brent Molnar, “A Voice of Reason,” October 5, 2026.]

State media networks have purged earlier references to any suspicion of pneumonic plague; travel advisories in the region have been removed from municipal sites; and regional leaders have walked back initial statements confirming the infection.

But the word — although still just rumors — had already begun circulating, and there has been a run on broad-spectrum antibiotics from nearby pharmacies. Bad news always travels quickly.

We still don’t know precisely what killed Daria Shipilova. If it was pneumonic plague, there is a reasonable chance her life could have been saved if antibiotic treatment had been administered within 24 hours of the first appearance of symptoms. The same, of course, is true of any others who might have been exposed. Are her co-workers, family members and friends being monitored? Is anyone else known to have been stricken?

And if it wasn’t pneumonic plague, then what was it, and what precautions are being taken? For that matter, will we ever be told the truth about any of it?

Yet there is one additional, overriding issue that comes to my mind, above and beyond the welfare of the people of the Irkutsk region, and that is: What is the purpose of the so-called Anti-Plague Research Institute? What other sorts of pathogens are contained in their facilities? And are they being studied strictly for medical purposes, or as part of some nefarious program of biological warfare?

We need to know . . . because that last possibility could one day bring down a plague on all our houses.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/7/26

In my earlier post today, I wrote that Vladimir Putin’s popularity with the people of Russia is suffering and their support for his seemingly endless war against Ukraine is “waning.” That may actually have been something of an understatement.

As it turns out, I seem to have miscalculated the level of dissatisfaction of the Russian populace. Because over the weekend, the Kremlin-friendly Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF) organized a rally, joined by some 6,000 demonstrators including members of the liberal, anti-war Yabloko Party . . . the opposition party that was denied authorization to run in the recent Parliamentary elections.

The bipartisan rally was being held to commemorate the 33rd anniversary of the 1993 constitutional crisis that ended in the shelling of the Parliament, on the orders of then-president Boris Yeltsin, to quell the resistance to his reforms being staged by a cadre of Soviet-era hard-liners. Known as the “Black October” uprising, it resulted in the deaths of 147 people and hundreds of injuries.

At this week’s rally, everything was fine until near the end. According to the Pravda news service, as some of Sunday’s demonstrators began chanting “Freedom for political prisoners,” “For fair elections,” and “Down with the Tsar,” police charged in and arrested some 60 people, of whom 26 were reportedly from the Communist Party, and another 30 from Yabloko. [Harry Thompson, Daily Beast, October 5, 2026.]

The Associated Press has reported that the KPRF says it is working to obtain the release of those arrested. [Id.]

Such demonstrations of opposition are rare in Russia, and are invariably met with police action. This has been especially true since the loss of the popular dissident Aleksei Navalny, and the increase in arrests of journalists and others who dare to speak out against Putin or his war.

So what prompted this one? Is it a one-off, or the start of a larger movement? Will it fizzle out, or build momentum to present a serious challenge to Putin’s iron-fisted rule?

Obviously, I don’t have the answers. I don’t think Putin will be going anywhere soon, or that a full-blown revolution in Russia is imminent. But, as history is so fond of proving, anything is possible.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/6/26

It is incomprehensible; it is unspeakable; it defies all reason . . . even for Donald Trump.

Speaking at a campaign rally in Nebraska yesterday, he said this about the cost of the war in Iran:

“It’s a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping the country safe. They can take out a city, let ‘em take out Los Angeles, let ‘em take out San Diego. This is a very small price to pay.” [Iris Kwok, et al., Los Angeles Times, October 5, 2026.]

And his audience of MAGA maniacs cheered.

Congress must put a stop to this madness NOW. There are legal, constitutional remedies available. No more excuses, no more “party loyalty.” The country simply will not survive another two years with this lunatic in charge.

That is all I have to say.

Brendochka
10/6/26

As the 1954 Johnny Mercer classic told us, that’s when “something’s gotta give.”

On Saturday, October 3rd, Vladimir Putin — assuming the ones to “give” would be the foreign diplomats who have kept their embassies in Ukraine open despite the increased attacks by Russia’s forces — issued a direct warning for them to leave or risk losing their lives.

He undoubtedly expected to see a mass exodus; instead, he received responses from some immovable sources:

> From Poland: It has no intention of changing how its Embassy operates in Kyiv.

> From Estonia: Its Embassy remains in Kyiv, and its support of Ukraine remains firm.

> And from the EU’s Ambassador to Ukraine, Katarina Mathernova: “The responsibility for russian [sic] attacks belongs to russia [sic]. Moscow wants to scare Europe into reducing its support for Ukraine. That will not happen.” [Yuri Zoria, Euromaidan, October 4, 2026.]

Putin’s threats, and his hybrid assaults on NATO/EU territory, have thus far only served to strengthen the resolve and the defenses of the nations of Europe. Now he has sunk to the level of personally threatening the lives of their government officials as he escalates his attacks on Kyiv.

But his bluff is being called.

Nearly five years of war have, rather than causing the people of Ukraine to cower and surrender, only reinforced their determination to defend their country for as long as it takes to defeat Putin. Similarly, the people of Europe — having fought and survived two world wars — are standing firm in the defense of Ukraine and of their own sovereign nations.

Conversely, however, Putin’s prolonged war has begun to affect his own people, and their support for his “special military operation” is noticeably waning. He is now facing the once unimaginable possibility of a dual loss: on the battlefield in Ukraine, and in the political arena at home.

There’s no telling what twists and turns are ahead, or how long it may take to reach a final resolution; but right now, my money is on the immovable objects of Europe.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/6/26

On this date in 1989, Dalai Lama XIV was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. At 91 years of age, he continues to grace us with his pearls of wisdom and prayers for peace, such as:

“Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them.”

”Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.”

“World peace must develop from inner peace. Peace is not just mere absence of violence. Peace is, I think, the manifestation of human compassion.”

*. *. *

And currently, another man actively lobbies for ahis own Nobel Peace Prize, offering as justification such unforgettable utterances as:

“And when you’re a star . . . you can do anything . . . grab ‘em by the p*ssy . . . you can do anything.” (Private conversation about women, 2005)

“I have black guys counting my money . . . I hate it. The only people I want counting my money are short guys that wear yamulkes all day.” (USA Today, May 20, 1991)

”They’re not humans. They’re animals.” (On undocumented immigrants, 2024)

“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.” (About bombing Iran, Truth Social post, April 7, 2026.)

I think that’s quite enough.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/5/26

Have you ever wondered what these two actually discuss on the rare occasions when they meet face-to-face?

Of course, you have. The very fact that we are given so little information following their get-togethers is all that’s needed to pique our curiosity.

The same holds true for the “negotiations” that have taken place in Moscow between Vladimir Putin’s team and the American vaudeville act of Witkoff and Kushner. They travel, they meet, they slam down some vodka and caviar, they fly home . . . and all we get are assurances that the meetings were “productive” and included a discussion of a possible trilateral meeting in the near future.

Whoop-dee-do!

But now, The New York Times, citing “people familiar with the meeting,” reports that, when Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Putin on September 5th of this year, Putin raised the possibility of a multi-billion-dollar oil deal that would benefit Middle Eastern business executives who happen to have ties to both Witkoff and Kushner. [Disha Mishra, Reuters, October 3, 2026.]

According to the NYT report, the deal would involve a widespread network of oil fields, refineries and gas stations around the world, owned by the Russian energy giant Lukoil. And while the transaction is — at least technically — contingent on approval from the U.S. government as well as the Kremlin, it is hard to imagine that either would disapprove . . . at least as long as Trump can push it through Congress while he still has a subservient Republican majority.

On Putin’s part, he reportedly said the proposal would be a way to show the Russian people — who are less than thrilled with the way the war is going — that they can still do business with the United States.

Well, as long as Donnie can help save his friend Vlad’s skin, and pull in an extra few billion dollars in the bargain, then I’m as happy as a raccoon in a garbage can.

I have to wonder, though: Did Witkoff, Kushner and Putin even get around to discussing actually trying to end the war in Ukraine?

There truly are no words.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/5/26

“We’ll die this autumn.”

Oleshky is not a person; it is a city of about 6,000 people (of the original 24,000) in the Russian-occupied Kherson region of Ukraine, consisting of the men, women and children who have been unable to leave since the 2022 invasion and are now trapped by the occupying forces with little or no access to food, water, electricity, or medical care.

Last week I added The 6,000 Starving Citizens of Oleshky to my list of known hostages under Vladimir Putin’s barbaric regime. And the situation has only become more dire since then. One citizen wrote to the city’s relocated Ukrainian administration that, with just one remaining beetroot, five potatoes, an onion, a zucchini, a tomato, and a little barley:

“We are preparing our last borshch. We eat once a day. We’ll die this autumn for sure. I’m dying already, weakening with each day.” [Mykyta Peretiatko and RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service, October 3, 2026.]

Ukrainian forces have sent heavy-lift drones to deliver food and other supplies to the city. But Russia regularly shoots down as many of the drones as possible, and further targets the people directly as they gather at distribution sites in hopes of receiving aid.

The Ukrainian civic organization Humanity has reportedly rescued more than 7,000 people from Russian-occupied areas. But for those remaining in Oleshky, with their “homes destroyed, property wiped out,” documents lost, and little chance of obtaining legal status in Russia, they are trapped by the Russian blockade and literally starving to death. According to a spokesperson for Humanity:

“The hunger has reached such a scale that, in the best-case scenario, a person can eat a clear soup and a few spoons of some kind of porridge in a day. If they have any left. They have been left completely without food, without medicine, without access to medical assistance, without fire engines, and, of course, without money.” [Id.]

She added that the residents with whom she spoke expect their food supplies to run out in October. That’s this month.

There are no adjectives adequate to describe the hell that Vladimir Putin has created for the innocent people of Ukraine. And even harder to tolerate is the realization that, while the indescribable suffering he has created drags on, he and Donald Trump have been in discussions to further enrich themselves, their friends and relatives with an oil deal . . .

But that is a topic for my next post. Please stay tuned.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/5/26