I Artem, thanks for the comment! I don't believe Americans thought Chechens barbarians. I also believe Americans think of Russians as a bit barbaric, as that's how most Russians are depicted in Hollywood. Personally, I feel most cultural behaviors are based on economics. If everyone is poor, things okay. If some are rich from some natural resource, things are horrible. If you live in the superpower, the U.S., or a close cousin, the "consumers" and manufacturers, righteousness prevails ;)

There are plenty of men who beat their wives in the U.S. And you don't need to research far to see the homeless and opioid problem.

I've written many stories about Russia in the past year. In each I try to cover a different aspect. In short, I'd like to see any means necessary to remove Putin and his regime. The irony is I'm more hawkish than the people who call me a Russian propagandist!

However, much of my desire is based on propaganda. And what will it change? Rather, does it change how we got here?

The propaganda is that Putin used to be liberal and the West went out of its way to help Russia towards a democracy but Putin became authoritarian because Russians, we realize now, are barbarians.

I wrote about the flimsiness of that view here: https://medium.com/@maxrottersman/no-one-cares-about-russians-and-they-know-it-bf924343346c

I don't distrust Western Media as much as I don't find their shallow interpretations useful. One can always find evidence to support any claim (that Russians are wife beaters), but that doesn't mean the problem is relevant to the issue at hand.

I've worked in journalism and I've had experience as a whistleblower. Not a combination that makes it easy to trust anything.

Thanks again!