The current war of aggression against Ukraine by Russia shows the true face of imperial Russia. I love Russian literature and music. But, is the country of now what the Russian people really want to be? One hundred twenty years ago, Japan, a small country in the Far East, experienced the same expansionism of the Russian Tsar. Japan defended its sovereignty. The Japanese army pushed back the Russian army in Mandshurei. The Japanese marine sunk the Baltic fleet in the Sea of Japan. But with the sacrifice of so many soldiers' lives and the courageous determination of the small country. A famous Japanese writer, Ryotaro Shiba, wrote this war story in the late 1970’s. 坂の上の雲, "Clouds over the hill." This long war novel has been available in English for a few years. "Clouds above the Hill." Four volumes. I can highly recommend them. You understand what the Russian imperialists were and are capable of, what resistance you have to bring against them.