Following a brief visit to Moscow, Jeff Bercovici of Forbes politely asks why Russian journalists continually face worse and worse conditions, with an emphasis on the recent savage attack on Oleg Kashin of Kommersant.

The journalists I met, both the Russians and the expats, love what they do, and they’re remarkably generous when it comes to helping out their nominal rivals. They are, in short, top-notch drinking companions — warm, funny, wry, spontaneous, spilling over with energy and enthusiasm.

They’re so much fun, it’s easy to overlook how unbelievably brave they are — how brave they have to be to do what they do. Until, all of a sudden, it’s not easy.