Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that Russia was in a “state of war” in Ukraine, marking a shift in rhetoric as Moscow has been referring to the conflict as a “special military operation.”
“We are in a state of war. Yes, it started out as a special military operation, but as soon as this group was formed, when the collective West became a participant in this on the side of Ukraine, it became a war for us,” Peskov said.
He added that it did not mean the legal status of the military operations have changed. “This does not imply any legal changes. It is [still] a special military operation de jure,” he said, according to Russia’s TASS news agency. “But de facto – in fact – it has turned into a war for us as the collective West increasingly and more directly enhances its involvement in the conflict.”
His comments came as Russia was ramping up missile strikes in Ukraine in what was seen as retaliation for Ukrainian forces stepping up attacks on Russian territory, which have included drone attacks, raids by militias, and artillery shelling of the border regions.
Ukrainian officials said Russia’s missile strikes on Friday were one of the heaviest attacks on Ukraine’s infrastructure of the war. Five people were reported killed, and over a million experienced blackouts.
The heavy missile strikes also come as Western leaders have been speaking much more openly about NATO’s involvement in the war. French President Emmanuel Macron has suggested multiple times now that the alliance should consider sending troops, and his bellicose rhetoric has shined a light on the fact that there is a small presence of NATO special operations forces in Ukraine, which has been an open secret for more than a year.
The trajectory has been so predictable from day one. Like everyone flushed their history books down the toilet and gorged on sweets and Million Dollar Candy bars.
I know, Russia completely flushed their history books.
What a bunch of idiots. That’s why they are paying a high price for their current State of War.
This is not a good development as a declared war bring the full weight of 37 million Russian reserves onto active duty. It also upgrades the nuclear forces to a higher level of per-launch activity.
I agree with you. But Dude! We are so stupid, we don’t fu@king care! How dare they steal the elections from Hitlary!?
That many reserves won’t be needed. IIRC there is some talk of activating another 300,000 reserves. I predict the Russian army will be somewhere around 2 million by end of this year given that half a million more volunteered in 2023. Compared to that, NATO is a pipsqueak regardless of how many they claim on paper.
from SMO to now a “state of war.” Lol
What a bunch of clowns.
No, Kremlin. You’re in a state of war because you invaded Ukraine. You only called it a special military operation because you thought you’d win in 3 days. If Ukraine wins, the war will have been the last battle of WW3. If it loses, it will have been the first.
Russia is now in a state of war because NATO pushed and pushed and pushed until a red line was crossed in 2014. Then Russia still tried to negotiate until Boris to-the-last-Ukrainian Johnson killed the compromises that had been agreed to. Then Russia had to defend its sovereignty and started the SMO. For the last 2 years NATO has done everything possible to escalate the situation including terrorist attacks. Now, they are in a state of war, and the gloves have come off.
WWIII started when the US/NATO blew up the Nord stream pipeline.
It started when we refused Russian entry into the Western Alliance as an equal 31 years ago. It was accelerated by Bill Clinton.
I can accept that as well. 🙂
You do remember our many actions to the axiom, “responsibility to protect”, don’t you? I present that Russia invaded to protect the Russian speaking separatists in the Donbas region. That area had been under attack for more than 8 years. Something like 14,000 died as a result of the shelling.
If Ukraine wins, the war will have been the last battle of WW3. If it loses, it will have been the first.
You’re plagiarizing. I know this because you posted that same quote before and it was from some moron who claimed to be an expert on Russia because he studied Russian in Russia and he sat next to Russian cosmonauts at the international space station.
The vampire ball quote was something.
Scary times, that didn’t have to be.
They worked hard to get us to WWIII and most of us don’t even notice. The level of stupidity out there is astonishing! They will soon get their wish.
And then some…!
Fact: We, the United States of Atrocities, shut down two opportunities for peace in Ukraine, ignored Russian concerns and demands in December, 2021.
Fact: Our manufacturers of murder machines are making major bank on the war in Ukraine and the genocide (it ain’t no “war”) in Gaza.
I hate to say it, but I might have to consider voting for Trump. At least he is saying he’s going to negotiate. Of course what he says and actually does are not always congruent, but the Biden admin is unhinged and has to be stopped. RFK, Jr. still has my vote, but if he can’t get on enough ballots come November I will have to (as a single issue voter: not destroying civilization as we know it) hold my nose and vote Trump. It seems we are still living in Raimondo’s “Bizarro World” timeline.
https://original.antiwar.com/justin/2011/09/08/911-and-the-bizarro-effect/
“Bizarro World, you’ll recall from your comics-reading youth, was – is – an alternate universe in which the laws of reason and logic are turned on their heads: water flows uphill, right is wrong, left is right,” and I find myself facing the prospect of voting for Donald J. Trump.
Yes, sadly, Trump could stumble into peace and that’s the best we can hope for. No chance of that with Biden. And I’d take RFK, Jr over either of them too. In a New York minute.
Ukraine knows it’s fighting a losing battle. Territorial gains from late last year are only the beginning. More territory will be lost.
The persistent attacks on petro targets will be met by a disproportionate Russian response. Even the Empire puppet-master has told them to back off.
Despite Zelensky stating only 31,000 KIA (that’s if you actually believe this puppet’s incredibly out-of-touch rhetoric) the only thing they have left is drone warfare.
In the end, Russia will take more and more, Ukraine will die a little more an more each day and surmise that the Empire doesn’t give a $hit about them or any other Slavic nation. They should have taken note of the old saying, “if it’s too good to be true, it probably isn’t” back in 2014.
Eventually, there will be a new eastern border that separates Ukraine/Russia defining the new Ukrainian rump-state. Keep eyes on Odessa as well.
That’s ok because the Empire will define this and it’s propaganda machine will revel that it prevented Russia from invading and taking over all of Europe because that’s what Putin’s intentions were all along, right? 😂
The Empire (US/UK) should have considered peace when they had a chance instead of watching this senseless bloodshed escalate and continue.
But as I said earlier, they do not give a $hit about any Slavic nation whatsoever.
Influence and perpetuating their hegemony is all that matters.
This is not a road that anyone should want to travel.
If the Music Hall shooting is proved to be instigated by Ukraine, which means the Zelboy knew about it, he would then be a target for retaliation…!
He and Putin, as commanders in chief of their respective armed forces, have both been “legitimate targets” since the beginning.