At a family gathering celebrating my grandmother’s birthday, held at my brother Sergei’s apartment, I already felt like I didn’t belong.

There, I changed out of my soaked clothes, sat down at my computer, and logged into my bank account. That same evening, I officially withdrew my financial guarantee for Sergei’s business credit line.

By the next morning, his car had been repossessed. Neighbors watched from their windows as the tow truck hauled it away, while Sergei stood in the yard, phone in hand, stunned and confused by how quickly everything had unraveled.

And I wasn’t finished.

I made another call — this time to the military registration office. Calmly, politely, I asked to verify information regarding my nephew, Ilya. I explained that he had no serious medical conditions, and that the paperwork justifying his deferment had been arranged with help from his parents. I suggested it might be worth reviewing the documents more carefully.