to covid, to energy crisis, even to military force. we have learned how to make the consensus, and how to make collectively the decisions. but what putin hadn't learned is to be part of some consensus. broader consensus. and until he understands that he should be a player together with everybody, this could change the situation... you say putin is not part of a consensus, but he has got friends, hasn't he? we have just seen russian troops go in as part of the collective security treaty 0rganisation, into kazakhstan to help president tokayev there, sent a couple of thousand troops. he gets on very well with alexader lucashenko in belarus — this is not somebody without friends in the region. so maybe sergey and carl can pick up on that. looking at post—soviet countries and conflicts there, are there some aspects to putin's policy where he actually acts as a stabilising force,