“There is nothing more beautiful in this life than to be a poet-warrior.  And I am happy to consider myself to be one,” he wrote to me not so long ago.

Now I know that for the rest of my life I will re-read my conversations with him, drawing strength from there and mentally reproducing my friend’s voice again.

He truly was a warrior.  We had gone through so much together and experienced so much, and I had never once seen fear in him.  He had always rushed to wherever someone needed help.  With no self-interest or reservations, ignoring danger, he went to the rescue.

Russell was a poet. He felt the nerve of time and knew how to express it in music. His huge heart was a guitar pick, and his soul was a sail that pushed us all towards something better and kinder.  For him, there was no other person’s grief - he sincerely experienced the pain of every injustice.

"Texas" is one of the symbols of our struggle, and, for many in the world, he is a symbol of humanism that connects people across continents.  I know that when Russell left the city of Austin in 2014, he did not plan to die of old age.  He probably understood all the risks involved when he went to the site of the shelling on Petrovka on April 8.  He flew through life like a bright falling star and left as a martyr, showing us all an example of a real Danko of Gorky’s writings.

We must remember him, read his words, and continue his work.

Scum will get death and oblivion.  Truth will win!"

From a close comrade with the call sign "Altai".