I am guessing that you still have family back in Belarus, so how does that impact on your thinking?
It's closer from St. Petersburg to Finland. Both in terms of speed of thought and distance between mentalities.
My wife and I had a great time over the five days there, with so many different people helping us when we needed it, to find the right station, the right place, or the right dance venue. People were incredibly friendly.
It is pretty sad how the majority of people suffer at the actions of the minority.
Yes, perhaps this is too sore a topic for me to be crystal clear.....