Such an excellent article Tara -- and the backstory of your relatives -- I'm no political analyst either, but Putin is holding Ukraine hostage, as a bank robber might, to get the outcome wanted. I think the fact that Putin is getting older, now 68 [I think] is the most terrifying -- when he was building his enormous fortune, he may not have risked it -- now he has everything, and is older he might look for a place at the pinnacle of history -- we'll see!