“I am convinced of this and everyone has to understand it to commit”, he added, referring to the military mobilization and the “mobilization of spirits” being carried out in Russia.
In this interview, Peskov also recalled the Kremlin’s objective of completely conquering the four Ukrainian regions (Kherson, Donetsk, Lugansk and Zaporijjia) that Moscow has claimed as annexation territory since September 2022.
“‘De jure’, this is a special military operation, but in fact, it turned into a war,” added Dmitri Peskov.
Over the past two years, the Kremlin has cracked down on the use of the word “war” with fines and prison sentences, imposing the official euphemism “special military operation.”
During the two years of conflict, several senior officials used the word “war” in public statements, but always in reference to the war that the West was waging against Russia through Ukraine, and not in relation to the Russian attack.
Asked about the fate of people convicted of using the word “war”, Peskov suggested that this did not mean that the use of the term “in a critical context” was permitted.
“The word ‘war’ is used in different contexts. Compare my context with the context of the cases (of convicted people) that cite it,” he said.
On social media, Russian analyst Tatyana Stanovaya, cited by Agence France-Presse, stated, however, that the Kremlin’s official use of the term illustrates the crossing of a “psychological border” between the political elite and citizens.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was recently re-elected with 87% of the vote in an unopposed presidential election, has promised to lead the country to victory over Kiev and the West, in what he considers to be a confrontation over Russia’s “existence”.
Tags: Russia longer talks special operations admits war Ukraine
