I have seen some posts asking whether Prince Michael of Kent could/should try to speak with Putin - this is due to his historical links - below - surely anything is worth a try and who knows he may already be involved in some capacity -
Russia
Prince Michael of Kent after his investiture by
President Dmitry Medvedev with the
Order of Friendshipat the
Kremlin in 2009
Prince Michael speaks fluent Russian
[31] and has a strong interest in Russia, where he is a well-known figure (he is a recipient of the Order of Friendship). Tsar
Nicholas II was a first cousin of three of his grandparents: George V, Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark, and Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia. When the bodies of the Tsar and some of his family were recovered in 1991, the remains were later identified by DNA using, among others, a sample from Prince Michael for recognition.
[32] He attended the 1998 burial of the Tsar and his family in St Petersburg.
[33] He is an honorary member of the
Romanov Family Association.
[34] He is also the second cousin of
Maria Vladimirovna, Grand Duchess of Russia, who is a claimant to the headship of the Imperial Family of Russia. They share the same great-grandfather,
Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich. Prince Michael is the patron of organisations which have close ties with Russia, including the Russo-British Chamber of Commerce and the St Gregory's Foundation.
[35] In his capacity as patron of Children's Fire and Burns Trust, Prince Michael has led fundraising rallies in 1999 and 2003 in Russia to raise money for the charity. He also led another rally in 2005 and raised money for the
Royal Marsden Hospitaland Britain's Charities Aid Foundation Russia.
[35]