In 2022, as the armed conflict in Ukraine escalated, we were overwhelmed by a flood of heavy news. Many of us, myself included, found ourselves endlessly doomscrolling through one bad headline after another, leading to emotional and mental exhaustion. Over the past two years, various media outlets and commentators offered their views on what Russia is—some spoke of it as a land of great military achievements, while others labeled it a failed empire mired in corruption. The ongoing events sparked a range of interpretations and assessments of Russia.
I decided to seek my own answer to the question: "What is Russia to me? What do I love about it? What truly defines it?"