Tver

Driving into Tver, the first thing I notice are the soldiers.

Despite all the military imagery around town, if you live in Tver it's possible to convince yourself that life is normal.

Some of the people I talk to in Tver repeat the official narrative they have been hearing for the last three years on state TV: that their country is not the aggressor, that Russia is defending Russians and Russian-speakers in Ukraine and liberating, not occupying, territory.

They've received a call informing them that "suspicious-looking people with a camera" are going around Tver.

From talking to people in Tver it becomes clear that Russians are hoping that an end to the fighting will bring economic relief.