With Ukraine under siege from Russia, I thought it would be interesting to get the perspective of Russian rhythmic-gymnast-turned-supermodel Kira Dikhtyar, who has homes in both New York and Moscow. My readers will know Dikhtyar from her feature in “Chasing Ghislaine,” my recent podcast and documentary.

Dikhtyar graduated with a gold academic medal from Moscow State University, where she studied geography and geopolitics. In the wake of a violent sexual assault as a 15-year-old, Dikhtyar has been vocal about her experience and is lobbying the UN to universalize the age of consent. A dual U.S. and Russian citizen, she was in Moscow until last week. On the way to Moscow, she visited relatives in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev.

I wanted to get Dikhtyar’s take on the war, since the perspective that is perhaps missing from U.S. media coverage is that of Russian citizens. And Dikhtyar is in the relatively rare position of following the media narratives in both Russia and the U.S. She spoke to me from New York. Read our conversation at Substack.