In St. Petersburg, Russia, where I was on assignment, I found a place on a map that looked like a graffiti mecca in between shoots. It was closed with a big lock on the iron gate, but one guy was inside, so I hollered at him and told him I wanted to see inside, to which he replied, "It's closed”

“I came from New York and I love hip-hop!" I told him that I needed to see inside, and he was tilting his head and walking to my direction and said, "Then I'll let you in," and unlocked the door with a clattering sound.

The 5 Pointz in Queens had been vandalized, but the graffiti there was filled from top to bottom with a vigor that reminded me of that.

Nikolay explained the graffiti there in detail. Who is this, who is that, and I drew this. He then showed me around the city and introduced me to some of the artists working on the streets. I promised him that I would come back to this city again, and we parted ways.

That is how I met Nikolay.

In my second visit to St. Petersburg, I also saw Nikolay during a break from filming. He took me to many of his favorite places.

His driving was precise but very rough, and he drove through the streets of St. Petersburg at speeds well above the legal speed limit.

One day, I finished work early and went to the meeting place to meet Nikolay, who said, "I will show you a nice view". When I arrived there, I found that it was an apartment building along the river. I entered through the entrance door that happened to be open, and when I reached the door to the 6th floor rooftop, Nikolay turned around and smirked, "I broke the lock yesterday, so it's okay". Nikolay is a graffiti artist. That's what graffiti is all about.

Thanks to him, the door was opened. There was an attic, with no floor, and we walked on the pillars, making creaking noises.

I understood his advice to be quiet because the people downstairs might find out, but I had three cameras with me. Screaming along the way, I still managed to reach the next door, which I opened to reveal a stunning view.

Nikolay was the kind of man who would give the middle finger to authority, but there, instead of talking about Putin or the government, we each sat on the roof and gazed at the scene as the city was enveloped in evening darkness. Nikolay seemed perhaps satisfied with my unspoken words. Then, somewhere below us, a wedding ceremony was taking place, and countless balloons took to the sky.

I had no idea that this would be my last time with him.

The events of the past few weeks reminded me of Nikolay, and I contacted him for the first time in a long time, but he never responded at all. When I go to his page on Instagram, I see "R.I.P (Rest In Peace)" in the comments section. He battled lung cancer for 6 months, the last of which invaded his brain and he was gone from this world 4 days ago.

I only met Nikolay a few times. But it is so sad. And I have not been able to repay Nikolay for anything.

I wonder how Nikolay is looking at this situation in heaven. I wonder how he is looking at the current situation in heaven. I am sure that he is drawing a very disparaging graffiti about Putin with a spray can.

I can't hate Russia or Russians because I know Russians like Nikolay who feel for Ukraine and are heartbroken. See you soon, Nikolay.