Relationships between the World Cup host nation and the West are at an all-time low but Russians are calling for more dialogue and understanding
For some people in Russia, the proposed diplomatic boycott of the World Cup and ongoing talk that some teams should skip the tournament altogether are the only means left to punish them.
There have been sanctions in place against the country since the 2014 military intervention in Ukraine which the general population has had to contend with and the World Cup represents a big, high-profile target for Western ire.
The Salisbury spy poisoning, which the UK government is pinning firmly on the Russian state, has served to worsen what was already an increasingly tense relationship between Russia the West.