Some 500 km from the new front, the Muscovites follow between indifference and worry “This war which, now on our own lands, in Kursk, hides its name…” Piotr, a father in his thirties who prefers to remain anonymous, does not mince his words because he knows he can be mobilized. Between work during the day and going out with friends in the evening, his daily life, like that of the majority of his fellow citizens, has hardly changed since the Ukrainian army entered Russian territory in the border region of Kursk on August 6.
Despite this first armed foreign incursion since World War II, Moscow seems to be enjoying a perfect summer, happy and carefree. But far from the crowded café terraces, a wave of blue and green posters, at the entrances of shops and on the doors of buildings, reminds every man of fighting age: Together, the Moscow City Hall and the Ministry of Defense are now offering 5.2 million rubles (more than 50,000 euros) per year to any volunteer going to the front.
“They keep increasing the bonus… But soon they will struggle to find contract workers and, inevitably, the government will launch a new compulsory mobilization.”fears Piotr. “The front at Kursk showed us this, he continues, The conflict may spread. Our borders are not protected, due to a lack of sufficient men and equipment, the army will need more and more troops…
The most nationalistic of commentators, who have already criticized the “weaknesses” of Vladimir Putin's Kremlin, were quick to demand a mobilization of the entire country. “This must include all media, all culture, all education, all power, all oligarchs and all people.”thus launched on Telegram and on a national television channel, Roman Alekhine, a “political scientist” who, denouncing the ” lies “ of the General Staff on the seriousness of the situation in Kursk, called for taking Stalin's example and his management of the Great Patriotic War against Nazi Germany.
The Kremlin and its media outlets want to be more reassuring: the response of the Russian army in the Kursk region, called simple “anti-terrorist operation”helps to stabilize the front and even start to push back the“terrorist invasion”. TV channels and social networks serving the authorities show Ukrainian soldiers taken prisoner and their tanks pulverized.
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Source: Lemonde
