Voices from the streets of Moscow...plus, a review of the Putin 2027 calendar.

Good morning from Moscow.It's Sunday the 9th of August.You know, I've been seeing rather a lot of Vladimir Putin recently down at the shops.This is the stationary department of my local Moscow bookstore.There he is.He was also spotted in my local supermarket and newspaper kiosks in Moscow are now selling this.

This is the Vladimir Putin 2027 calendar.Can you believe it?It's still the summer.and already you can buy the Putin 2027 calendar.Well, I'll be showing you this in more detail later.First of all, I want to show you a couple of things which I didn't have time to post last week.

You may remember that last weekend a bomb exploded in an Italian restaurant in Moscow.That was Saturday night.Sunday morning, We went down to the scene.So this is the Balzi Rossi Italian restaurant in Moscow where the explosion happened.This morning, Russian police removed their cordon around the restaurant.So you can see the details, you can see the signs of that blast.

Russia's National Anti -Terrorism Committee said late last night that a woman had tried to get into the restaurant with an improvised explosive device, a bomb, and had been stopped by a security guard.

There was a loud bang, a very loud bang.I immediately realized that it was an explosion, nothing else.I live here, in the first entrance.It's terrible.I'm afraid of these explosions, I'm afraid of death, of everything, everything, everything.And this...

as you can see, emotions are running high outside the restaurant.

These people that we've been speaking to taking out their anger on us, accusing Britain of somehow being behind what happened yesterday.Today, Moscow's Mayor Sergei Sobyanin called what happened here a brutal act of terror and said that the perpetrators will be found and punished.There's been very little official information, though, today about the events of Saturday night.But many Muscovites suspect that what happened was connected in some way to Russia's war on Ukraine.Certainly, if you go back the last couple of years, there have been several bomb attacks targeting senior Russian military figures in and around the Russian capital.And Moscow has blamed those on Kiev.

Also, in recent days, Ukraine has continued to launch drone strikes on warehouses of the Russian online retailer Wildberries, Russia's equivalent of Amazon.Also, last week, there was a drone attack on an industrial park just to the south of Moscow.At least five people were reported killed.we went back onto the streets for reaction.Do you feel better now than, say, two years ago?Of course.

Because all this has acquired a global scale, so to speak.That's all.All this has played out many times better than it did before.

It makes you think not about development, but about where you start tomorrow, how you will pay salaries to employees, how to pay with agents, and so on.In warehouses?Yes, we take the goods not from our place, but we take them to these warehouses, and then they are sent to the logistics chain.It turns out that in some cities, after the drones flew there, several thousand goods were burned.

And what can you do in this situation?

In this situation, you can accept it, get some small compensation and work further and think about how to work in this situation, how to find money, what actions to take.This is not the whole part of our business, your algorithm, but in general, yes, it has a strong impact and is a large part of it.

If you turn on the TV here, Russian television, they tell very limited stories.One thing's clear, I think.The war has become much more real for Russians.It's becoming much harder for them.here to pretend that it's not happening, or to ignore the consequences, whether we're talking consequences for consumers because of the disruption to wildberries, or fuel shortages caused by Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil refineries, or the almost everyday drone attacks on Russian towns and cities.But none of this seems to be changing Vladimir Putin's calculations.

There is no sign of a change of approach by the Kremlin.There's no sign of any compromise by the Kremlin.Talking of the Kremlin leader, here it is, the first Putin 2027 calendar that I've seen, and it's only the summer.It's complete with Putin quotes that very much reflect the official narrative here.For example, that even though it was Russia that invaded Ukraine, Russia is not the aggressor, that Russia is being threatened by outside forces.So, for example, February's quote, threatening Russia is pointless, it only emboldens us.

And here, Russia has shown many times, when there is a threat to our security, to the peace and tranquility of our citizens, our sovereignty, and our very statehood, we respond quickly.As you'd expect, there are predictions of victory.The October quote, I believe in our success, our victory, in Russia's future.And right here, in a calendar, ruling out a ceasefire in Ukraine, September.We don't need a ceasefire.We need peace, long term, durable and guaranteed for Russia and its citizens.

Well, from the speeches and the statements that he's made.By peace, President Putin means peace on his terms.The calendar tries to rally Russians around the flag.April.Patriotism is Russia's national idea.May.

This is our motherland, the motherland of our forefathers.December.Nothing is impossible when the path to your goal is illuminated by love for the fatherland.Another theme here, unity.March.Support for centuries -old family values, traditions, will continue to unite us.

July.We are united in our thoughts, in work and in battle, on weekdays and holidays, showing the most important traits of the Russian people, solidarity, mercy, tenacity.And judging by the final page here, retirement is not something the Kremlin leader is contemplating anytime soon.I don't know about you, but to me, 2027 feels a long way away, let alone 2028.I mean, so much is happening.Well, that's all for today.

To end, some music.And I'd like to play for you a 19th century Russian romance song.It's called I Met You.The music was written by Leonid Malashkin.Thank you for watching.Very best wishes and have a good week.