Hey. Thanks so much to everyone who sent their congratulations. Last night we made a quick trip to Uglich. The drive from the MKAD (Moscow Ring Road) to that town took less time than it takes me to get from my home to the MKAD/Yaroslavskoye Highway. Horrifying. We got here at 1 a.m. last night. Now we’re off to soak up some culture. Yesterday’s VTB Bank annual general meeting of shareholders: in short, it was a total train wreck. There was NOT A SINGLE positive — or even neutral — comment from the floor about the bank’s performance. I’m not exaggerating. It was a bloodbath. Pure brutality. Fear and Loathing at Luzhniki (a major Moscow stadium complex). The range of remarks went from “you are doing a very poor job” to “you are thieves, and sooner or later all of you will end up in prison.” One shareholder flat-out said: "Kostin, you are a thief and a gangster. Everyone else on the presidium is either a thief too, or covering for thieves and therefore complicit. I am stating this publicly, and I very much hope you try to hold me liable for slander. I dream of seeing you in court." At those words, the entire presidium turned crimson, stared at the table, and said nothing. The subject of our "drilling rigs case" became one of the central issues at the meeting. Even so, both Kostin and Ulyukayev said they would not conduct any internal investigation at the bank; they were not interested, and investigations were a matter for the police. Ulyukayev, in particular, was an unpleasant surprise. He seemed like a decent enough guy, but he was openly shielding the crooks and brushing aside every sensitive issue. Despite objections, VTB’s shareholder meeting regulations were amended to include a provision allowing absentee shareholder meetings. So, in all likelihood, this was the last time we had a chance to ask the Effective Managers uncomfortable questions to their faces. Still, their time will come — when they’ll be answering questions while looking out at the world from behind the bars of an iron cage.