Steve Rosenberg, Russian journalist
Ukrainian forces have been seizing and occupying Russian territory for almost two weeks.
Ukraine’s cross-border assault on the Kursk area marks the primary time overseas troops have fought on Russian soil since World Warfare II.
Almost two and a half years after President Vladimir Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the warfare has taken a dramatic and sudden flip.
The Kremlin vowed to “drive the enemies out of Russia”. President Putin has not publicly used the phrase “invasion” to explain the Ukrainian offensive, seemingly in an effort to downplay what is going on and keep away from any sense of panic.
However how did the Russian public react?
Drive two and a half hours south of Moscow into the Tula area and you may attain the leafy city of Alexin.
It is solely 100 miles from Moscow, but one way or the other feels so far-off from the Russian capital.
On the day we visited, there was a “patriotic” pop live performance within the city sq.. Most individuals I spoke to expressed shock at what was taking place within the South.
Since February 2022, Russian state tv has been reporting on Russian navy operations in Ukraine.
Nobody right here anticipated that Russia’s borders could be breached. There’s apparent fatigue. Everybody talks concerning the want for peace. However there may be presently no consensus on the best way to obtain this objective.
Some Russians, repeating official messages from state media, referred to as for “peace on Russian phrases” (in different phrases, complete give up of Ukraine).
Others expressed hope that Moscow and Kiev might come to the negotiating desk and discover a method to finish the battle.
The Kremlin nonetheless calls its troops’ operations in Ukraine “particular navy operations.” It’s stated that Russia is presently conducting “anti-terrorism operations” within the Kursk area.
That is the official view. However unusual Russians use one easy phrase to explain all of it: “warfare.”
Producer: Lisa Shuvalova
