Not legal

State of war: Putin spokesman rows back again

Shortly after stating that Russia was at war (see video above), Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has now rowed back again. Legally, the status of combat operations is being maintained and it is therefore a "special military operation".

Peskov said this on Friday when asked by media representatives. "De jure, it is a special military operation." The spokesman made his comments after the Russian military carried out what was probably the largest concerted attack on the neighboring country's energy infrastructure on Friday night.

Here you can see a tweet from university professor Gerhard Mangott, who researches Russian foreign policy.

Martial law in four areas
Should martial law actually be declared, this would result in further restrictions for the population in Russia. For example, a curfew could be imposed during a war. So far, martial law does not apply nationally, but only in the partially occupied regions of Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhia.

As reported , the Kremlin officially admitted for the first time on Friday that Russia was at war. "We are in a state of war. Yes, it began as a special military operation, but as soon as this group was formed and the collective West became a participant in it on the side of Ukraine, it became a war for us," said spokesman Peskov.

Soldier in Ukraine(Bild: AP)

No right to exist for Ukraine
On this occasion, he also once again questioned the existence of Ukraine. Russia could not allow the existence of a country on its borders that was prepared to use all means at its disposal to take the Crimean peninsula. The Ukrainian peninsula had already been seized and annexed by Russia in 2014. The war in Ukraine began in February 2022.

Even at that time, President Vladimir Putin spoke of a "special military operation." The Russian army occupied large parts of the neighboring country, but was unable to take the capital Kiev as planned. The Ukrainian troops later drove the occupying forces back from some parts of the country, also with Western military assistance.

The Russian authorities currently occupy a fifth of Ukraine, including Crimea. Tens of thousands of people have been killed in the fighting, including many civilians. Russian troops are currently on the offensive.