General’s assassination pierces Moscow’s air of normality

Appearance and reality: there is a constant battle in Moscow between the two.

Despite almost three years of war, life here can seem very normal: from the crowds of commuters on the Metro to the bars and clubs filled with young Muscovites.

Then suddenly something happens that reminds us that there is nothing normal in Russia today.

That “something” may be a Ukrainian drone that penetrates Moscow’s air defenses.

Or, even more dramatic, what happened on Tuesday morning: the targeted assassination of a top Russian general as he left an apartment block.

When Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov and his assistant Ilya Polikarpov were Dies from a bomb hidden in an electric scooter.The reality of Russia’s war against Ukraine shocked us.

At least for the Russians close to the crime scene.

“It’s one thing to read about it on the news, it feels far away, but when it happens next door, it’s completely different and terrifying,” Liza tells me. He lives a building from the site of the explosion.

“Until now (the war) seemed like it was happening far away; now someone is dead, you can feel the consequences here.

“My anxiety has skyrocketed. Every sound you hear makes you nervous, you wonder if it’s a drone or something at a construction site,” says Liza.

This perception of Russia’s war in Ukraine as something distant, I have heard very often here. I have the feeling that, for a considerable part of the population, this is a war that they only experience on their television screen or on their smartphone. In many ways, a virtual war.

It really is surprising, considering the large number of dead and injured.

But the assassination of a Russian general in Moscow is a clear wake-up call; proof that this war is very real and very close to home.

Will this serve as a wake-up call for Russian authorities?

Probably not. There is little sign of a U-turn by the Kremlin on Ukraine. Moscow is much more likely to escalate the war.

Just look at the signs.

Reacting to the news of Kirillov’s murder, the host of a political talk show on Russian state television blamed Ukraine and stated that “with this attack President Zelensky has signed his own death sentence.”

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said that “investigators must find the killers in Russia.” He added: “We must do everything possible to destroy their sponsors who are in kyiv.”

Russia’s security service says a 29-year-old man from Uzbekistan has been detained over the murders.

There has so far been no public reaction from President Vladimir Putin to the murder of the general and his assistant.

But the Kremlin leader has said many times before that, in the face of security threats, Russia “will always respond.”

Based on that promise, retaliation is likely.

On Thursday, the Kremlin leader will hold his annual year-end press conference and phone call. Normally it is a marathon event broadcast live on the main television channels.

I wonder: will you use the event to comment on the dramatic murder of Kirillov early in the morning?

Will he break his silence on Syria? So far, the Russian president has said nothing publicly about the fall of Bashar al-Assad, Moscow’s key ally in the Middle East.

And what will he tell the Russians about where their country is headed, as the war in Ukraine – what Putin still calls his “special military operation” – approaches three years?