Russian Federation Presidential Spokesperson Peskov has told press that the Kremlin now considers their country to be at war due to Western intervention in the Russo-Ukraine War. According to pro-Russian publication “Arguments and Facts”, he said:
“What is the president talking about? We have four new regions. And for us, the main thing is to protect people in these regions and liberate the territory of these subjects, which is currently de facto occupied by the Kiev regime. We are at war. Yes, it started as a special military operation, but as soon as this company was formed there, when the collective West became a participant in this on the side of Ukraine, it already became a war for us. I am convinced of that. And everyone should understand this, for their internal mobilization.”
While this is not the first time that Russian government officials have referred to the invasion of Ukraine as a “war”. This is a strikingly clear comment from Peskov which usually takes a more conservative line as opposed to MPs from the Duma and especially former-President Medvedev.
These comments come on the heels of French President Macron’s comments on sending French trainers to Ukraine. A comment which Russian media and government officials have ran with in several Information Operations campaigns. This also represents another rejigging of Russian strategic goals since the February 2022 invasion. Initially the Kremlin claimed to be undertaking a defensive campaign to defend the Donbass, then a “de-Nazification” campaign through government change. After the failed attempt to conquer Kyiv through airborne and ground incursions, the narrative switched to “liberating” the four regions which was a veiled attempt to hold on to ground taken in the initial offensive. After the failed Ukrainian counter offensive at the end of 2023, the narrative has now changed to reflect that the Russian Federation will probably not seek a negotiated peace with Ukraine, but rather push its current advantage as Western support for Ukraine continues to falter.
