At this market, a few miles inside Russia's border with Ukraine, the sounds of battle have become commonplace. I can hear distant explosions. But nobody hesitates.
Other shops a few meters away have been reduced to twisted metal. They were recently the target of a mortar attack.
Since the market was closed at the time, nobody was hurt. However, there are still a lot of empty stalls, and few people are there. Outside some of the buildings, sandbags are piled high.
This conflict feels like a virtual war to many people in Russia because it is being televised and taking place far from home. War, however, feels very real and imminent in the Belgorod region of Russia.
Raisa Alexandrovna, a local candy vendor, no longer feels secure.
Raisa says, "Nobody is guarding us. "People don't know if they'll still be alive in one piece in the morning when they go home at night.
At the market, everyone I talk to says they constantly worry about Ukrainian shelling. They fail to mention, however, that it was their nation that invaded Ukraine.
They attest to the fact that things were peaceful and quiet here a year ago. They do not, however, connect the .s and assign the Kremlin responsibility for what happened.
Raisa is adamant that "We had to launch this military operation.". It is the right action. Just that we ought to have been better ready for it. People ought to have been enlisted in the army right away. So many of our male youth are passing away. Our women won't have anyone left to marry.
But what about the Ukrainians who have died as a result of Russia's invasion, I inquire.
Raisa responds, "Yes, there have been fatalities on both sides. But Ukrainians' minds have been transformed. There is now a new generation that despises Russians. Reeducating them is necessary. reinvent them.
A huge letter "Z" representing Russia's military operation has been erected alongside a busy highway in Belgorod, the regional capital. Additionally, there have been explosions in Belgorod in recent months, including ones at the airport, an oil depot, and what appeared to be a strike on a power plant. Residents are forced to consider where to seek cover all of a sudden. Shelters have been set up in the basements and cellars of apartment buildings.
Similar to conversations at the market, most people tell me that while the invasion itself is not to blame, security issues only started to arise after it occurred. There seems to be a psychological barrier preventing people from making the connection between their president's decision and the deteriorating security situation.
Patriotic messaging feeds the firewall, if there is one.
In Belgorod, images of decorated Russian soldiers who have fought in Ukraine can be seen peering down from billboards and advertising hoardings. Public support for the flag is bolstered by the images and catchphrases.
One poster reads, "We appreciate your bravery!".
Another shouts, "For the Motherland!".
"Everything for the front line, everything for the win!".
"Live for Russia!, but Believe in Yourself!".
There is propaganda on Russian state TV in addition to the signs that are posted on the street. From morning to night, news reports and talk shows reassure viewers that Russia is in the right, that the West and Ukraine are the aggressors, and that the future of Russia itself is at risk in this conflict.
The messaging functions.
I strike up a conversation with the owner of a knitting store in Belgorod. He makes it clear that he thinks the West is deceiving everyone by criticizing Russia.
He informs me that "the West plays a negative role.". Clearly, it wants to obliterate Russia. That's been observed before. during the Nazi era.
Law student Ksenya concurs outside the store.
Ksenya claims, "The West has always wanted to destroy Russia, and Ukraine is a puppet of the West. Hitler desired to seize our land. We have such a large nation; who doesn't?
Although few are willing to admit it in public, not everyone holds that opinion.
Ivan says further up the street, "I don't think I can change the situation.". "I am aware of the nation I reside in and the measures taken by the government to stifle the speech of common people. Any such phrase should be avoided.
Hitler is frequently brought up in conversation. On Russian television, you constantly hear them. The Kremlin portrays the conflict in Ukraine as a war between Russia and fascism, a struggle to protect the Motherland from foreign invaders, in order to arouse patriotic fervor and increase public support for the "special military operation.".
The facts show that this is not true. Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941. The full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Vladimir Putin's Russia began in 2022.
I have firsthand observation of the development of connections to World War Two in a wasteland outside of Belgorod. Men with guns have agreed to meet me. They adopted the name Smersh ("Death to Spies") from a notorious counter-intelligence organization that Joseph Stalin established during World War Two. They won't reveal their identities or reveal their faces, but they will give a brief account of what they were doing.
One man declares, "Right now we are preparing a territorial defense force for the Belgorod region.". "Some of those undergoing training have prior combat experience. Others were in the military or the police. In the event that Russia is attacked, they will protect the Belgorod region. We will execute any task that the commander-in-chief assigns to us, in any city, anywhere in the world.
Evgeny Bakalo, a local writer and businessman, is one of the men receiving training. Evgeny has established a support network in Belgorod for Ukrainian refugees who have entered Russia. Mr. Bakalo's assessment of Ukraine is consistent with President Putin's debatable stances.
He says, "We're one people. Russians are in Ukraine. They simply lost track of it.
The opposite seems to be true—that after a year of war and tenacious Ukrainian resistance, the Ukrainian people value their sovereignty and independence more than ever before and are adamant about not being dragged back into Moscow's sphere of influence.
Another explanation for the Kremlin's frequent allusions to the 1940s is that Moscow still portrays Ukrainian officials as neo-Nazis and Western governments as Nazi sympathizers.
The Soviet Union's victory in World War Two, also known as the Great Patriotic War, and the significant human cost of that victory are central to President Putin's conception of the Russian nation. It's a very sensitive subject.
In Belgorod, Olga, who oversees a church choir, admits that she is "very frightened" when the city is being shelled. She immediately brings up World War Two in response to my suggestion that this wouldn't be taking place if the "special military operation" hadn't begun.
Olga says, "I take us back to the Great Patriotic War, a time of great sacrifice. Always, someone must make a sacrifice. When our soldiers deploy to battle, they are aware that they could die.
Olga's spouse isn't home. He has offered to participate in the "special military operation.". She agrees with the official account, which is the Kremlin's version of events that most of the rest of the world rejects.
Olga informs me that Russia did not start this conflict. The shirt off his back is what a Russian will give you. Ukraine was spared a Russian attack. The people of Russia are kind and peaceful.
a Will Vernon production.
