(MOSCOW) – The conflict in Ukraine is increasingly spilling into the daily lives of ordinary Russians, with a recent bomb attack and drone strikes making the war impossible to ignore for many in the capital. A bomb exploded at an Italian restaurant in Moscow last Saturday night, stirring a volatile mix of fear, anger, and suspicion in the city.
The blast occurred at the Bali Rossi restaurant. The National Anti-terrorism Committee stated that a woman carrying an improvised explosive device was stopped by a security guard, shortly after which the bomb detonated. Some Russian news outlets have since suggested the woman may have been an unwitting courier, attempting to deliver a package to a private function, though there has been no official confirmation of this.
In the aftermath, Moscow’s Mayor Sergey Sobyanin described the incident as a “brutal act of terror” and vowed the perpetrators would be found and punished. However, official information remains scant, and many Muscovites suspect the attack is connected to the Kremlin’s war on Ukraine. The capital has seen several bomb attacks targeting senior Russian military figures in recent years, with Moscow blaming Kyiv.
The restaurant bombing is not an isolated incident. Ukraine has recently launched continued drone strikes on warehouses belonging to the Russian online retailer Wildberries. Additionally, a drone attack on an industrial park just south of Moscow last week reportedly killed at least five people. The BBC reported that on the streets of Moscow, emotions are running high, with some locals directing their anger at foreign journalists, accusing Britain of involvement in the latest attack. The war is becoming much more real for residents, with disruptions to online retail, fuel shortages caused by refinery strikes, and near-daily drone attacks on Russian towns and cities.
Despite the growing domestic pressure and visible consequences of the war, there is no sign of a change in approach from the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin shows no indication of compromise, an attitude reflected in the newly released official 2027 calendar featuring the dictator. Already available in Moscow’s newspaper kiosks and bookshops in August, the calendar is filled with defiant quotes mirroring the official narrative, framing Russia not as the aggressor but as a nation threatened by outside forces.
A February quote states, “Threatening Russia is pointless. It only emboldens us.” The September message explicitly rules out a ceasefire, declaring, “We don’t need a ceasefire. We need peace long-term, durable, and guaranteed for Russia and its citizens,” which the dictator has made clear means peace strictly on his own terms. The calendar, replete with themes of patriotism, traditional family values, and unity, culminates in a clear signal that the ICC-indicted war criminal is not contemplating retirement.
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