At the same time, I also wish to pay tribute to the Russian people fro — Russians

"The Russians are fascinating, ingenious, creative, sentimental, warm-hearted, generous, obstinately courageous, endlessly tough, often devious, brutal and ruthless. Ordinary Russians firmly believe that they are warmer-hearted than others, more loyal to their friends, more willing to sacrifice themselves for the common good, more devoted to the fundamental truths of life. They give the credit to the Russian soul, as broad and all-embracing as the Russian land itself. Their passionate sense of Russia’s greatness is paradoxically undermined by an underlying and corrosive pessimism. And it is tempered by resentment that their country is insufficiently understood and respected by foreigners."

"[T]hrough the Russian people will be realized the last thought of God, the thought of the End of the World."

"Kremlin-connected media outlets and Vladimir Putin himself have increasingly stoked xenophobia and hyper-nationalism among ethnic Russians, but whenever major Western outlets begin to notice just how bad the situation has become, the Kremlin leader as he has in the past has denounced the slogan “Russia for the [Ethnic] Russians” as dangerous."

"Imagine that one not very fine day two or three of your states in the Southwest, in the space of 24 hours, declare themselves independent of the U.S. They declare themselves a fully sovereign nation, decreeing that Spanish will be the only language. All English-speaking residents, even if their ancestors have lived there for 200 years, have to take a test in the Spanish language within one or two years and swear allegiance to the new nation. Otherwise they will not receive citizenship and be deprived of civic, property and employment rights. What would be the reaction of the United States? I have no doubt that it would be immediate military intervention. But today Russia faces precisely this scenario. In 24 hours she lost eight to 10 purely Russian provinces, 25 million ethnic Russians who have ended up in this very way--as "undesirable aliens." In places where their fathers, grandfathers, great-grandfathers have lived since way back--even from the 17th century--they face persecution in their jobs and the suppression of their culture, education and language. Meanwhile, in Central Asia, those wishing to leave are not permitted to take even their personal property. The authorities tell them, "There is no such concept as personal property!"

"A Russian is self-assured just because he knows nothing and does not want to know anything, since he does not believe that anything can be known."

"Russians should realize that they are Orthodox in the first place; Russians in the second place; and only in the third place, people."