As tension with Russia deepens, it may seem as if Americans have little in common with those living under Vladimir Putin’s dictatorship. But I have witnessed the triumph of good over evil in Russia many times, including on one striking occasion 25 years ago this month, when an expression of the “Russian soul” defused a dangerous situation and gave me hope for the country’s future.

Christmas Eve 1992 was bitter cold in Moscow, and the mood of the city was marked by depression and despair. I was there to complete my first book,...