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-# Ukraine, Russia, and a World Tragedy
-
-## A message to those inside Russia
-
-### Written March 4, 2022.
-
-It is with a very heavy heart that I write this.  I am normally opposed to the use of open source
-projects to communicate political positions or advocate for things outside the immediate relevancy
-to that project.
-
-However, the events occurring in Ukraine, and specifically the unprecedented invasion of Ukraine by
-Russian forces operating under orders from Russian President Vladimir Putin compel me to speak out.
-
-Those who know me, know that I have family, friends, and colleagues in Russia, and Ukraine both.  My closest friends
-have historically been Russian friends my wife's hometown of Chelyabinsk.  I myself have in the past
-frequently traveled to Russia, and indeed operated a software development firm with offices in St. Petersburg.
-I had a special kinship with Russia and its people.
-
-I say "had", because I fear that the actions of Putin, and the massive disinformation campaign that his regime
-has waged inside Russia, mean that it's likely that I won't see those friends again.  At present, I'm not sure
-my wife will see her own mother again.  We no longer feel it's safe for either of us to return Russia given
-actions taken by the regime to crack down on those who express disagreement.
-
-Russian citizens are being led to believe it is acting purely defensively, and that only legitimate military
-targets are being targeted, and that all the information we have received in the West are fakes.
-
-I am confident that nothing could be further from the truth.
-
-This has caused many in Russia, including people whom I respect and believe to be smarter than this, to
-stand by Putin, and endorse his actions. The claim is that the entirety of NATO is operating at the behest
-of the USA, and that the entirety of Europe was poised to attack Russia. While this is clearly absurd to those
-of us with any understanding of western politics, Russian citizens are being fed this lie, and believing it.
-
-If you're reading this from inside Russia -- YOU are the person that I hope this message reaches.  Your
-government is LYING to you.  Of course, all governments lie all the time.  But consider this.  Almost the
-entire world has condemned the invasion of Ukraine as criminal, and has applied sanctions.  Even countries
-which have poor relations with the US sanctioning Russia, as well as nations which historically have remained
-neutral.  (Famously neutral -- even during World War II, Switzerland has acted to apply sanctions in
-concert with the rest of the world.)
-
-Ask yourself, why does Putin fear a free press so much, if what he says is true?  Why the crack-downs on
-children expressing only a desire for peace with Ukraine?  Why would the entire world unified against him,
-if Putin was in the right?  Why would the only countries that stood with Russia against
-the UN resolution to condemn these acts as crimes be Belarus, North Korea, and Syria?  Even countries normally
-allied to Russia could not bring themselves to do more than abstain from the vote to condemn it.
-
-To be clear, I do not claim that the actions taken by the West or by the Ukrainian government were completely
-blameless.  On the contrary, I understand that Western media is biased, and the truth is rarely exactly
-as reported.  I believe that there is a kernel of truth in the claims of fascists and ultra-nationalist
-militias operating in Ukraine and specifically Donbas.  However, I am also equally certain that Putin's
-response is out of proportion, and that concerns about such militias are principally just a pretext to justify
-an invasion.
-
-Europe is at war, unlike we've seen in my lifetime.  The world is more divided, and closer to nuclear holocaust
-than it has been since the Cold War. And that is 100% the fault of Putin.
-
-While Putin remains in power, there cannot really be any way for Russian international relations to return
-to normal. Putin has set your country on a path to return to the Cold War, likely because he fancies himself
-to be a new Stalin.  However, unlike the Soviet Union, the Russian economy does not have the wherewithal to
-stand on its own, and the invasion of Ukraine has fully ensured that Russia will not find any friends anywhere
-else in Europe, and probably few places in Asia.
-
-The *only* paths forward for Russia are either a Russia without Putin (and those who would support his agenda),
-or a complete breakdown of Russian prosperity, likely followed by the increasing international conflict that will
-be the natural escalation from a country that is isolated and impoverished. Those of us observing from the West are
-gravely concerned, because we cannot see any end to this madness that does not result in nuclear conflict,
-unless from within.
-
-In the meantime, the worst prices will be paid for by innocents in Ukraine, and by young Russian men
-forced to carry out the orders of Putin's corrupt regime.
-
-And *that* is why I write this -- to appeal to those within Russia to open your eyes, and think with
-your minds.  It is right and proper to be proud of your country and its rich heritage.  But it is also
-right and proper to look for ways to save it from the ruinous path that its current leadership has set it upon,
-and to recognize when that leadership is no longer acting in interest of the country or its people.
-
-  - Garrett D'Amore, March 4, 2022
-
-Updates on March 16, 2024:
-
-I've made some minor typographical fixes.
-
-It is extremely distressing to see that two years on, the
-people of both Ukraine and Russia continue to suffer under this needless, pointless, conflict fought solely to assuage
-the ego of a dictator.
-
-The actions done here, have killed thousands, probably hundreds of thousands, of soldiers and civilians alike, and there seems to be no end to the madness.  I still pray for sanity to return, because the current path, if followed
-to its logical conclusion, most likely ends in apocalpyse.
-
-If you find my sharing these truths uncomfortable, please feel welcome to cease use of my software.  While the license does permit use by anyone for any reason, I would not be displeased if the Russian military, and those sympathetic to it, declined from use of any of my work.