Environmental Protection AgencyAppearance and reality: There is an ongoing battle in Moscow between the two.
Despite nearly three years of war, life here can seem quite normal: from the crowds of commuters on the metro to the bars and clubs crowded with young Muscovites.
Then, suddenly, something happens that reminds you: nothing is normal in Russia today.
This “something” could be a Ukrainian drone penetrating Moscow's air defenses.
Or — more dramatically — what happened Tuesday morning: the targeted assassination of a top Russian general as he emerged from an apartment building.
When Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov and his assistant Ilya Polikarpov He was killed by a bomb hidden on an electric motorcycleThe reality of the Russian war on Ukraine has hit the ground running.
At least for those Russians close to the crime scene.
“It's one thing to read about it on the news, it seems so far away, but when it happens right next to you, it's completely different and scary,” Lisa told me. She lives one block from the explosion site.
“Until now, it (the war) seemed like it was happening far away – now someone has died, here, you can feel the consequences.
“My anxiety has reached peaks,” says Lisa. “Every sound you hear gets on your nerves – and you wonder if it’s a drone or something on a construction site.”
This perception of the Russian war in Ukraine as something far-fetched – I've heard that a lot here. I have a feeling that, for a large part of the population, this war is only being experienced on television or on their smartphones. In many ways, a virtual war.
It is truly amazing, considering the large number of dead and wounded.
But the killing of a Russian general in Moscow: this is a clear wake-up call; Proof that this war is very real and very close to home.
Will it serve as a wake-up call to the Russian authorities?
Maybe not. There is little sign of the Kremlin shifting its position on Ukraine. Moscow is likely to intensify the war.
Just look at the signs.
In response to news of Kirillov's killing, a political talk show host on Russian state television blamed Ukraine and claimed that “with this attack President Zelensky signed his own death sentence.”
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said: “Investigators must find the killers in Russia.” He added: “We must do everything to destroy their sponsors who are in Kyiv.”
The Russian Security Service says a 29-year-old man from Uzbekistan has now been arrested over the killings.
There has been no public reaction from President Vladimir Putin yet to the killing of the general and his aide.
But the Kremlin leader has said many times before that Russia will “always respond” in the face of security threats.
Based on this pledge, retaliation is possible.
On Thursday, the Kremlin leader is scheduled to hold his annual end-of-year press conference and make a phone call. This marathon event is usually broadcast live across all major TV channels.
I wonder: Will this event be used to comment on the dramatic early morning assassination of Kirillov?
Will he break his silence on Syria? The Russian president has not yet said anything publicly about the fall of Bashar al-Assad, Moscow's main ally in the Middle East.
What might he tell Russians about the direction their country is headed, as the war in Ukraine – which Putin still calls “his own military operation” – approaches the three-year mark?
