Americans do not hate Russians. But we do now emphatically hate Putin, and have a growing hatred for the Russian military. I do not need to explain why as the reasons are obvious to anyone who has seen the footage of what is happening, and to anyone who has sources of accurate independent news reporting. If one is a human being, then one must hate the indiscriminate murder of civilians, rape of women, and killing children. Nationality plays no part in feeling hatred for that. It is matter of humanity not nationality.

I do appreciate being able to hear what ordinary Russians are thinking. I am interested in knowing this. But the flip-side should hold as well. The Russian people need to know why we think and feel what we do right now. They need to know why we are furiously angry at the Russian military, and particularly furious with Putin, not just for what is being done needlessly to Ukrainians, but also for Putin and his generals sending Russian soldier to certain death. The Russian people are not getting accurate information to understand any of this.

If they were getting accurate information, they would know we feel sorry for the Russian people, and we admire the tremendous courage and bravery of those Russians who dare speak out and protest, and go to jail for it. Or, like Navalny, get poisoned by Putin for it. There are so very many brave Russians, but they are overmatched and being crushed by the brutal corruption in their government.

The only answer is this: Check your sources, find independent news, find the images, the photos, the films, and the voices of truth. Government-controlled news will by definition never be the truth.