Thursday, June 8, 2023

Calling A 'War' A 'War'

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a video conference meeting to discuss agricultural issues including spring field operations in Moscow, Russia, May 18, 2023. Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin via REUTERS 

Reuters: In Russia, the Talk Is of 'War' - Even From Putin 

MOSCOW, June 8 (Reuters) - For more than 15 months Russia has been fighting a war in Ukraine that the Kremlin refused to call a war - but that is changing: President Vladimir Putin is using the word "war" more often. 

When Putin sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24 last year, he called it "a special military operation" - a euphemism the Kremlin, Russian ministers and state media mostly stuck to, even coining a new Russian acronym, the "SVO".

Calling the conflict a war was effectively outlawed for the Russian media by a series of very broad laws soon after the invasion. The Russian media was ordered not to use the word war - and has either complied or shut down. 

But in response to what Russia said was a major Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow, Putin last week used the word "war" four times in relation to Ukraine, according to a Kremlin transcript of his remarks.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: On Day One of the invasion I called this a war. All my friends, family members, and contacts in Russia have also been calling this a war. 

Calling this "a special military operation" may have made some PR sense at the beginning of the war, but it makes no sense now. Especially since Putin himself is now using the word more often.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

The US, along with a number of UN nations took part in a "police action" in Korea in 1950. How did we know it was a war Americans involved got the G.I. Bill.

Anonymous said...

Back then Russian operations were limited to a bunch of feints with ~60k mercs and 20k conscripts in order to force negotiations. What is happening now involves 700k+ active troops. The language made sense a year ago.

Anonymous said...

No just more political crap. Just like the korean police action verbiage or Viet nam "conflict".
Crap, weasel word crap.

Anonymous said...

My favourite term is for the 30 years war in Northern Ireland. The English with their typical understatement called it "The Troubles..."
"He's not a terrorist, he's a very naughty boy"