René Coignard

I have been blogging almost continuously since my youth (well, at least I try not to abandon it — as you can see, I’m doing quite well so far), and since then, I have adhered to a principle I devised myself.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian and philosopher, claimed that “stupidity is a more dangerous enemy of the good than malice.”

For as long as I can remember, I have emphasized the importance of one’s name in shaping their identity.

This weekend caught me by surprise: usually, after a workweek, I dedicate my free time to hanging out with friends or taking trips to new cities in Germany via Deutsche Bahn trains.

Last year, the Russian state, embodied by police officers from Kolomna, stormed into my mother’s home and, without any semblance of civility, threatened to plant drugs on her to fabricate a criminal case against her.

During my lunch break today, I visited McDonald’s and on my way home, I heard the intriguing melodies composed by the wind as it conducted an orchestra of tree branches and leaves.

On the 16th of January this year, precisely a day after my birthday, I left Sakartvelo and surrendered myself to the brisk embrace of Germany.

On 21 September of last year, I held my final anti-war picket in Russia.

Exactly a year ago, on 21 September 2022, as Russia continued its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin declared a “partial” mobilisation.

Today, I unexpectedly discovered that ProtonMail can automatically encrypt emails for recipients who have WKD (which stands for “Web Key Directory”) set up.

For the first time in a long while, I was unable to observe the Russian elections firsthand.

Exactly six months ago, at five in the morning, I passed through border control in Sakartvelo and found myself at Tbilisi International Airport.

Following up on my previous note, I’d like to make a few important additions.

I spent the whole last week contemplating why, despite the qualitative improvement in my quality of life, I still can’t seem to derive enough satisfaction from it.

“Klaus” is an animated film by Spanish director Sergio Pablos.

I recently stumbled upon the benefits of cold showers quite unexpectedly.

I volunteer for an LGBTQ+ group called “Coming Out”, which advocates for the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals in Russia.

Today, I had the wonderful opportunity to get acquainted with the animated film “My Life as a Courgette” by Swiss director and animator Claude Barras.

An “Summer 2023” issue of the American magazine about Russian culture, “Russian Life,” has been released, which details my political activism in Russia, how I evaded the authorities, and ultimately fled from Russia to Sakartvelo.

Over the past two weeks, I enjoyed my first vacation in Sakartvelo alongside my beloved Charlotte.

Today, Ozyory, the town where I was born, is celebrating its 98th anniversary.

Recently you told me that I can mention you in my blog.

Today, someone very important to me told me that I am brave.

I have always been intrigued by the question of when a person transforms from “not adult” into “an adult”.

In the last few days, unbearable heat has settled across the whole territory of Sakartvelo.

One of the major downsides of Kutaisi is the presence of a huge number of dogs on the city streets.

A copy of my public PGP key can be obtained using WKD or on the keys.openpgp.org website.

Almost 15 years ago — on 7th August 2008 — the Russo-Georgian War began.

In the few months of living in Tbilisi, I managed to conduct several lectures on information security, develop a Telegram bot with information about the local municipal transport system’s bus movement, and meet many interesting and wonderful people.

Studio Ghibli’s animations have always captivated me with their harmony.

The European Court of Human Rights has communicated my complaint.