"Providence has subjected you to many a trial."

Andrei Piontkovsky

Dear Mikhail Borisovich,

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year! I hope your New Year's spread will feature your favorite dish - French fries. This has also been my favorite food since childhood when we grew potatoes in the yard of our apartment house in central Moscow during the war, and that saved us from starvation.

Providence has subjected you to many trials: untold wealth, betrayal by friends, the rabid fury of a pharaoh, and a Siberian labor camp. This shows that you are the chosen one, with great things expected of you, and you must prove yourself worthy of it.

Today you are toiling in a place where Russia's destiny will be shaped in the next 10 to 15 years. You are right in pointing this out in your latest publications.

To turn the Far East into a crucible for Russia to emerge once again as a strong, prosperous country, a leader of the Greater North is a national project that requires us to pool our efforts.

I wish you robust health, the clarity of thought that is your hallmark, and faith in Russia's future.

Yours truly,
Andrei Piontkovsky
Director, Center for Strategic Research