A middle-aged man in camouflage gets on a bus in central Moscow.
He is holding a plastic bag that contains a bottle of vodka and a can of beer.
Slightly swaying, his eyes blurred, he sips alternately from each container.
He surveys the other passengers and says to no one in particular,
keeping up the defence, keeping up the defence.
The passengers look away.
They are keen to avoid eye contact with the protagonist of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine.
Many Russians try to ignore the war,
which began four years ago this week, but that is getting harder.
There is no sign of an impending breakdown, political or economic.
But even Vladimir Putin's repressive regime cannot paper over the many ways in which the war impinges on everyday life.
Simply moving about the country, the reminders are frequent.
Defence systems intended to foil Ukrainian drone attacks also confuse the satnavs of cars in Moscow and other cities.
This spoofing can make GPS devices think they are 50 kilometres from their actual location.
Drivers must study routes in advance, use paper maps or ask for directions.
Air travel is another headache.
Fears of drones and other military concerns prompted more than 500 airport closures last year.
Sanctions prevent the import of spare parts for planes made by Airbus and Boeing,
which account for 90% of passenger flights.
Last year there were 800 breakdowns, more than triple the tally of the year before.