Russia's invasion of Ukraine sent shockwaves around the world, including among diaspora Russian communities.
In Australia, tensions are high, with many wondering how this conflict will end and what price the world, and Vladimir Putin, will pay.
Some fear the Russian president is capable of ordering a nuclear attack, yet doubt the military would obey an order to launch.
Petr Kuzmin left Russia in the turbulent 1990s to finish high school in the United States before moving to Melbourne in 2006.
Mr Kuzmin grew up in the shadow of the Cold War with the former Soviet Union and is shocked by the attack on Ukraine.
He has been opposing Russia's latest actions, helping to coordinate protests with the Svoboda Alliance, a pro-democracy movement of Russian speakers across Australia and New Zealand.
"The invasion itself was a shock. I didn't think it would happen," he said.
"I thought it was unimaginable that Russia would invade a brotherly nation because of such close ties the two countries have. Until the last minute I was hoping and thinking this is really a bluff."
He believes the Russian leader invaded Ukraine because he was losing his grip on power.
"The root cause of this invasion is the fact that Putin's standing with the Russian people, his popularity, has been waning for several years now. He was seeing his power slipping, he couldn't see the future, how he could democratically continue being leader of the country despite changing the constitution, despite all the apparatus that he had."
Mr Kuzmin believes in order to take that pressure off, Mr Putin has created an external crisis.
"For a year, Putin's repressive regime has been ratcheting up the pressure on civic society organisations, on independent media.
"It was either arresting politicians, the real opposition, or forcing them just to flee the country. All this was creating a sense for Putin he's really not having enough support, so the only way for him to get the support of the people is to create an external crisis."
A Russian woman holds a sign during a rally in Sydney against the war in Ukraine Source: AAP, AP / Rick Rycroft
'We do not want to be mixed up with the Kremlin'
Ilya Fomin, a Russian geophysicist, has been working at Macquarie University since arriving in Australia in 2018.
He's been advocating against Russian aggression since Moscow began amassing troops along Ukraine's borders this year.
Mr Fomin is deeply concerned by Mr Putin's order to change the country's nuclear status.
"There is only one really scary thing, which is the sanity of Putin," he said.
"Because now when he actually put basically the nuclear forces on high alert, this is a strong red bar - if you cross it you are insane, you are mad."
Mr Fomin's parents are in Russia, and his ex-girlfriend is in Ukraine.
He is concerned for them there, but he is also concerned for himself here for speaking out against Russia's government.
Despite this, he feels a duty to speak.
"I will want to do my tiny deed to let people know that there are very many Russians who are against the war and we do not want to be mixed up with the Kremlin, with Putin's government. No - we are against it and that's why we are not there."
Mikhail was born in Australia to parents from Russia.
He has requested his real name not be used for fear of retribution by pro-Putin supporters in Australia.
Asked if he truly believed he could be harmed in Australia he said: "I don't know and I don't really want to find out".
"Even though there's overwhelming support against the war and against the actions of the Russian state, the unpredictability is obviously still exactly that.
"I think this is one of those situations that whilst Putin's regime is still in power, I just think certain sensible measures should still be taken."
'I was threatened'
Dr Slava Kitaeff is the Russian-born Associate Director of eResearch, and an astronomer with Monash University in Melbourne.
He said he has been threatened, several times, for speaking against the Putin regime.
"I had episodes where I was threatened. And of course, anyone who speaks out should feel threatened," he said.
"We have to acknowledge that there are people here who work for the Russian government. They work within communities. That is common knowledge in the Russian community."
Dr Slava Kitaeff Credit: SBS Russian/Supplied
"Many Russians do not support what is happening. There are some that do. I think the role of Russian propaganda media plays a significant influence in forming such an opinion," he said.
He said the situation between Russia and Ukraine makes him feel terrible, and terrifies him.
"I have to say that I saw that coming from Russia about 20 years ago. It terrifies me what's happening," he said.
"I'm of the opinion that we are dealing with a psychotic episode of Mr Putin and we all are in danger, to be honest."
But Mr Kuzmin said the military chain of command may weaken any nuclear threat.
"More importantly for me ... is the people around him. All these people including his inner circle and the chain of command. Will they carry out these orders or not?" he said.
"I think with every day, the chances of the generals of the soldiers, the person who will actually press the button - there's no red button, everybody knows that, it's a chain of command - a person somewhere will be pressing the button and I'm hoping ... I know for sure that every day, the chances of people carrying out Putin's orders are decreasing."
Mikhail also believes that should Mr Putin give the orders to launch nuclear missiles, his generals may not follow through.
"Would he give the order? I don't know. Do I think that order would be carried out? No, I don't," he said.
"I think that we're now seeing both publicly and privately the fact that he's now becoming increasingly isolated within his own circle. He no longer has the support internally, though we may not be necessarily seeing that through the various channels of the Russian government, so I do not think that order would go through.
"The fact that the Western or allied forces have not responded in kind with their nuclear arsenal proves that Western intelligence also believes that the nuclear option will not be exercised."
'Putin backed into a corner'
Eugene Kravets is a 3D animation artist who came to Australia from Russia when he was 12 years old and remembers life in the Soviet Union.
He fears that Mr Putin may wish to rebuild an empire akin to the USSR and the invasion of Ukraine commits him to further action.
"Putin is backed into a corner, he's not going to go back. He's not just going to stop with Ukraine," he said.
"Every day I wake up and check the news and hope that the Russian generals launch a mutiny, like a military coup, because they are looking at suicide basically.
"I'm surprised that he's still alive and not under arrest."
He is outraged that the world has not done more to support Ukraine.
"When does the world start to do something about it? What is the red line? Is it Ukraine? Is it Moldova that Russia has designs on also? Is it the Baltic states? The original members of NATO? Where does it end?"
Mr Kravets has several friends in Ukraine and is in daily contact with them.
They are safe but angry at Mr Putin and the world for not doing more.
"They are very pissed off. They are not leaving. They are staying to fight."
'This is Putin's war'
Mikhail believes the end for Mr Putin's Russia is near.
"This will be the downfall of the Putin regime, I am absolutely certain of it," he said.
"The only question really is whether he'll come out of this alive or whether he will be tried."
Either way, he fears for the people of Russia.
"This is not Russia's war. This is Putin's war," he said.
"The people that will be worst off because of this will be the Russians. The Ukrainians will rebuild. The Ukrainians have the support of the world. Buildings can be rebuilt, people can be saved, but the stain and the scourge of being the aggressor, of being an abuser of human rights, that stays.
"So the longer that this continues, the worse off the Russian people and the country will be."
