A reversal that is as sudden as it is illegal, since the use of this term has been considered a criminal offense in Russia since last March. A “false information” punishable by 15 years in prison.
Change of tone or speech error? Speaking to journalists on Thursday, December 22, Russian President Vladimir Putin used the word “war” to describe the conflict in Ukraine. A first since the Russian invasion began last February. Until then, the Kremlin used the term “special military operation” or even “denazification operation”.
Presenting the invasion of Ukraine as an armed conflict has been a crime in Russia since last March, punishable by 15 years in prison.
“Our goal is not to perpetuate a military conflict, but on the contrary to end this war,” Vladimir Putin said on Thursday. “We did it and will continue to do it.”
A language abuse?
At CNN, an American official called for not over-interpreting the use of this term. This anonymous source told the American broadcaster that it was probably a speech error. However, the Kremlin’s response to this incident will be closely scrutinized in the coming days.
Awkwardness or not, Vladimir Putin’s opponents didn’t fail to increase the deadline, urging the Russian judiciary to institute a case against the Russian leader, based on the law he himself signed.
On March 4, Vladimir Putin ratified a law punishing those who “misinformation” about the army with up to 15 years in prison. The law thus provides that depicting the “special operation” in Ukraine as “war” or “invasion” constitutes a crime.
Russian justice seized by an opponent
Taking to Twitter, Nikita Yuferev, a St. Petersburg city councilman who was forced to flee the country over his anti-war positions, said he had called Russian judicial authorities to prosecute Putin.
“Vladimir Putin called the war a war. But no decree was signed to stop the special operation and no war was declared. Several thousand people have already been sentenced for using such a phrase about the war,” he tweeted.
During the same speech, Vladimir Putin took the opportunity to comment on the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the United States and, in particular, the American promise to deliver the Patriot air defense system.
“The Patriot is a fairly old system. It does not work like our S-300 (system). But our opponents assume it is a defensive weapon. Okay, we will always keep that in mind as an antidote,” Vladimir Putin said.