As a little boy, I would often look in wonder at the black and white images flickering on the screens of American television that gave me a look at the May Day parades in Red Square. I was sure I would never be able to actually go to Red Square and see those funny-looking spiral rooftops of the churches that everyone immediately recognizes as iconically Russian.

As an adult, I and my entire family of six got to go to Red Square through the help of a very good friend that I had made during my days climbing up the ladder. I think we both enjoyed each other’s company and trusted each other’s opinions. The trip was an eye-opener for all of us and one with a few surprises including our ability to stay in a corporate apartment at no charge. We had a hotel booked and this last-minute opening not only saved us money but had us staying only a few blocks from Red Square and the Kremlin at a location known as Pushkin Square. For those who aren’t familiar with Russian poets, Pushkin is one of the greatest – he’s their Mark Twain or Shakespeare that every bureaucrat loved to quote no matter where their political affiliation lie.

Last night approximately 17 to 18 hundred Muscovites braved the cold to protest Putin’s WAR. About 1400 of those protesters were arrested and carted off to jail. There was a time, not that long ago when you could actually peacefully protest in Russia after perestroika and before Putin went from being a deputy Mayor of St. Petersburg to the heir apparent gaining that distinction by working for the democratically elected Boris Yeltsin following the fall of the Communist Party. Today, democratic norms like peaceful protest, confirmed by the Russian Constitution are mere figments of previous dreams that turned into a nightmare as one man became an autocrat that turned into a dictator. There is no room for dissent in Russia today – NONE – NYET!

That’s why what the Russian citizens did in Pushkin Square matters. They are openly defying a regime that no longer tolerates any form of dissent. Russians are, based on my time in that country, good people and many are against the war, especially with Ukraine where many have family and friends.

In St. Petersburg, on that same night, the first day of Putin’s war, some 8,000 Russians protested against the war. That police presence dared not challenge such a large group.

We in America and the world should appreciate the sacrifice of those in Pushkin’s Square to GO DO GOOD, even if it meant suffering arrest and imprisonment because PUTIN’S WAR needs to be challenged from within Russia as well as by the rest of the world. Let the people of Ukraine live in peace, let them have their right to self-determination, and may their resolve be supported by all – including the good people of Russia.