![Ukranians in Russia](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/de70/live/eb8399b0-5d4d-11ef-b970-9f202720b57a.jpg.webp)
For nearly a fortnight now Ukrainian forces have been seizing and occupying Russian territory.
Ukraine’s cross-border attack into Kursk region marks the first time since World War Two that a foreign army has been fighting inside Russia.
It is a dramatic and unexpected development in this war, nearly two-and-a-half years after President Vladimir Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The Kremlin has vowed to "force the enemy" out of Russia. President Putin hasn’t publicly used the word "invasion" to describe the Ukrainian offensive, as if to play down what is happening and avoid any sense of panic.
But how are the Russian people reacting?
Drive two-and-a-half hours south of Moscow, into Tula region, and you’ll arrive in the small leafy town of Aleksin.
It’s only 100 miles (160km) from Moscow, yet somehow feels a world away from the Russian capital.
The day we visit there is a patriotic pop concert on the town square. Most of the people I speak with express alarm at what is happening further south.