‘How can I help, here and now?’

My piece for Financial Times

This week I was honoured to write a diary for Financial Times. There I tell more about myself and what this month of the war was for me. Here's an extract from the article, to read the full story please follow the free link below.

Two weeks before Putin launched his war against Ukraine, I was in Sri Lanka, an inexpensive tourist destination open for Russians during the pandemic. It was our first holiday in a long time. Of course, I couldn’t tear myself away from the news about Russia and Ukraine, even on the shores of the beautiful blue ocean, such a contrast to the madness happening thousands of miles away.

As my anxiety deepened, I kept on asking my acquaintances in government: will there be a war? Everyone answered no: a war wouldn’t be beneficial to anyone. When Putin did send in troops, these people were initially shocked and bewildered. Now many of them believe his assertion that the war was inevitable, and threaten to take revenge on the damned west for its sanctions.

When war …