Putin, der endlich das Wort „Krieg“ verwendet, ist ein Zeichen einer wachsenden Bedrohung für Europa
Putin finally using the word ‘war’ is a sign of growing threat to Europe
Putin, der endlich das Wort „Krieg“ verwendet, ist ein Zeichen einer wachsenden Bedrohung für Europa
Putin finally using the word ‘war’ is a sign of growing threat to Europe
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[Vladimir Putin](https://inews.co.uk/topic/vladimir-putin?ico=in-line_link) has for years referred to his invasion of Ukraine as a “special military operation”, but his spokesperson has now broken the long-standing taboo and called the conflict what is really is: [a war](https://inews.co.uk/topic/russia-ukraine-war?ico=in-line_link).
This was no accident, but highlights a shift in the official line from the Kremlin – a tactic designed to intimidate Europe into backing away from its support of Kyiv.
Moscow’s increasing willingness to describe the conflict as a war has major political ramifications, and underlines Putin’s growing anger and stepping up of his campaign against the continent.
For years, calling the invasion a war in Russia could mean going to prison. In March 2022, the Criminal Code was revised with the addition of Articles 207.3 and 280.3 criminalising the “dissemination of knowingly false information” or “discrediting” the military – which often meant telling the truth about what was happening.
The goal was to [intimidate rather than prosecute](https://inews.co.uk/news/world/putin-back-against-wall-bolder-than-ever-4438136?ico=in-line_link), and to scare people into toeing the party line. There have been high-profile prosecutions, from Moscow municipal deputy Alexei Gorinov, sentenced to seven years in prison for publicly saying that Ukrainian children were dying in the bombings, to dissident politician Ilya Yashin, given eight and a half years for discussing the killing of civilians in Bucha.
Putin did refer to a “real war” during his 2023 [Victory Day parade](https://inews.co.uk/news/world/moscow-victory-parade-pictures-how-far-russia-fallen-3681308?ico=in-line_link) speech, but he was talking less about Ukraine and more about a struggle by “the Western globalist elites” to “break apart and destroy our country”.
The official line has been that the “special military operation” in Ukraine was just one front in a wider political, economic and social war with the West.
But in an interview with Pavel Zarubin, perhaps the journalist the Kremlin most trusts, presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that “there’s a war going on, a real war… it all started as a special military operation. It continues as a war, because Kyiv has Berlin, Paris, The Hague, Oslo, and, unfortunately, Washington behind it”.
On one level, this may seem like a trivial change. Russian drones and missiles are still hammering Ukraine’s cities – and, increasingly, vice versa – whatever the conflict is called. However, Peskov is no maverick, and he chose his words carefully.
Nato leaders are now [gathering in Ankara, Turkey](https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/europe-building-nato-trump-wanted-own-cost-4620666?ico=in-line_link), where discussion will focus not just on Europe reassuring [Donald Trump](https://inews.co.uk/topic/donald-trump?ico=in-line_link) that it is serious about “rebalancing” – spending more on its own defence as US assets are withdrawn – but also on continued support for Ukraine. The goal is to [agree on a pledge](https://inews.co.uk/news/world/europe-country-big-winner-week-key-oil-route-4623839?ico=in-line_link) that military assistance to Ukraine in 2027 will at least match this year’s combined total of £60bn.
Ukraine’s military capacity depends heavily on Europe, which covers about two-thirds of its budget. Likewise, its long-range strikes are often based on targeting data provided by the West, using missiles or drones built with components sourced from there, too.
In the face of this, Moscow is stepping up its efforts to intimidate Europe, part out of anger, part out of a desperate hope to halt assistance to Ukraine – or at least stop it from increasing.
This campaign is taking numerous forms. While many have been false alarms, there have been [drone incursions over European airports and bases](https://inews.co.uk/news/russian-drone-incidents-uk-military-sites-double-year-4224940?ico=in-line_link). GPS signals across northeastern Europe are also increasingly subject to jamming from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.
Meanwhile, hacks by what seem to be Russian-based groups – like the recent “FortiBleed” incident which saw logins of thousands of UK Government officials compromised – are likely to have been tacitly encouraged by the Kremlin.
Last week, two RAF F-35 fighter jets were scrambled when a [Russian Tu-142 Bear-F maritime patrol aircraft flew “unnecessarily close”](https://inews.co.uk/news/world/pictures-show-how-uk-fighting-back-putins-brinkmanship-4627213?ico=in-line_link) to the aircraft carrier HMS *Prince of Wales* in the Norwegian Sea. We can expect to see more of these kinds of incidents.
In and of themselves, none of these are of critical importance. However, in conjunction with alarmist Russian rhetoric, Moscow’s hope is that they create a sense of impending crisis.
As one German diplomat told *The i Paper*: “If enough people start to think that the choice is between war at home and abandoning Ukraine, it will begin to affect politicians’ decisions.”
By invoking the term “war”, the Kremlin is hoping not only to get Russians to rally around the flag, but also to make even the most determined European countries think again.
In his interview, Peskov shrugged off last week’s reports that Moscow may be considering [some kind of “armed provocation” in Poland](https://inews.co.uk/news/world/putin-threat-to-poland-just-another-sign-of-his-desperation-4622994?ico=in-line_link) as mere “horror stories”. But determined to have his cake and eat it too, he also pointedly noted that “there are many companies in Poland manufacturing drones, which then fly toward us and attack our military”.
He added that the Russian military knew precisely where they were located.
There is no real evidence of an imminent Russian threat to Europe, beyond the [existing campaign of covert subversion and sabotage](https://inews.co.uk/news/russias-secret-hybrid-war-against-uk-escalating-how-we-know-4480987?ico=in-line_link). Nonetheless, the Kremlin sees a divided Europe as Ukraine’s Achilles’s heel. It hopes that by escalating its rhetoric it can undermine support for Kyiv – and thus tilt the balance of power in its favour.
It’s in Europe’s interest to make sure it doesn’t succeed.
Hé call it war, so he have a reason to do a big mobilization
Mark my words
Why is the Independent constantly pushing scary Putin „threat“ narratives? Do the Lebedevs still own it?
>> Sign of growing threat.
Were you asleep for the last 5 years?
Calling it a war finally convinced you that Putin was a growing threat?
If anything it’s a sign that Russia is weak and trying to use intimidation to force a surrender. If they were strong, they would take it militarily. It’s not as if they have shown they care for their own casualty rate.
So, I presume all those people who had been sent to prison or jail or detained and beaten for calling it „war“ and not „special military operation“ will now be pardoned? Ah, sorry, forgot it’s russia lol
Click bait
He has to escalate and make this a „holy purpose“. People speculate about mobilization, but the reason is simpler. The „special military operation“ fizzled out and everyone hates it now. A bigger line of fascist cocaine is needed to rile up the rubes.
Which goes in line with what others have said – Putin cannot stop this or he is toast.
The rest of the world does not marinate in propaganda to the extent Putin’s regime does. Maybe this signals a Russian mobilization internally, or maybe not. But official admission that they are, in fact, fighting the war we all see them fighting does not mean much to the rest of us.
Perhaps the war being a „war“ had some legal implications for the rumored mass Mobilization?
If Ukraine is kicking your ass, NATO (with or w/o America) might be a bit of a challenge.
Lol, no it isn’t. It’s more of a risk to himself, which is why he steadfastly avoided calling it that for 5 yrs now. This let him not involve the Duma much at all. That will change now. The more people have a look at this, the more it will start leak out just how horribly mismanaged he while thing has been.
The idea that Russia can suddenly launch a full on war with the rest of Europe when it is so obviously mired down in Ukraine is comic book logic. He’s not Palpatine and *there’s no secret fleet in waiting* lolol.
Using the word “war” is a sign he’s finally unable to deny it’s a war inside Russia because it’s become real to Russians citizens. Because he can’t hide because he’s weakened. And now all he has is more threats that really are a sign of not having more options. So he’s trying to intimidate westerners who have been entirely too timid and not seeing through his bullshit and let themselves be bullied as he is sabotaging them at home with espionage.
I feel like I want to shake awake western society to this. This is a case where most of someone’s power being based on others believing they have it. One of the few things Russian government is actually good at is propaganda.
Russia cannot attack Europe even of they wanted to. Look at how they are performing in Ukraine.