I just read in one of the Yomtuv magazines an interview with the Chief Rabbi of Moscow, Harav Berel Lazar. He said that Putin once asked him, "How is it that the Jewish nation has existed for so long without a land, culture, and language?" Rabbi Lazar was hesitant to answer (I would be afraid too
!), so he asked Putin what he thought. Putin responded that he believes all other nations are built around something temporary like money, army, or land. Once those disappear, the nation also disappears. But the Jewish nation is built on values, so that's why they endure.
He concluded by saying that he also tries to instill values in Russia, such as being against LGBTQ, so they can also endure forever.