Russia admitted for the first time it is in a state of war with Ukraine. This changes all the perspectives on the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. So far, Russia only mentioned “special operation” when referring to the conflict with Ukraine and those who referred to the conflict as being “war” were prosecuted.
In an interview with the Russian news platform “Arguments and Facts,” the Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitri Peskov says that his country is in a state of war with Ukraine.
We are in a state of war. Yes, it started as a special military operation, but as soon as this group was formed when the Western states became participants in it on the side of Ukraine, it became a war for us.
Dmitri Peskov on the war in Ukraine
This is the first official in the Kremlin to admit that the conflict, which was initially called “a special operation, ” is a war.
This changed everything—the Russian people had no obligation to support a special operation. So far, no mobilization has been initiated. The Constitution only mentions this obligation during a state of war with other countries. Now that the elections are over, Putin has the power to do that—Russian citizens could be mobilized to support the regular troops.
Ukrainian officials warned about the possibility of Russia launching a massive offensive in a few months with over 100,000 soldiers. While Russia is in a state of war, this is possible.