Dmitry Peskov: de facto Russia is in a state of war, but de jure it is a special operation

CrimeaPRESS reports:

Russia will continue to act in such a way that Ukraine’s military potential cannot threaten the security of its citizens and its territory, said the interview Press Secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov to the publication “Arguments and Facts”.

What is the President talking about? We have four new federal subjects. And the main thing for us is to protect the people in these regions and liberate the territory of these regions, which is currently de facto occupied by the Kyiv regimePeskov noted.

According to the press secretary of the Head of State, Russia cannot allow the existence on its borders of a country that has a documented intention to use any methods to take Crimea away from it, not to mention the territory of new regions.

We are at war. Yes, it began as a special military operation, but as soon as this group was formed there, when the collective West became a participant in this on the side of Ukraine, for us it already became a war. I am convinced of this. And everyone should understand this for their internal mobilizationPeskov added.

He emphasized: part of the Russian territories are now occupied by the Kyiv regime, new regions need to be liberated and people, Russian citizens, need to be protected.

The President’s press secretary (after the interview with AiF) clarified that his words about turning the Northern Military District into war do not de jure mean a state of war for Russia. In response to a request to clarify whether the words he said earlier about turning the Northern Military District into a war change the status of this conflict, a Kremlin representative said:

Essentially, once the collective West entered into conflict, it became a war for us. This is not associated with any legal changes, it is still a special military operation de jure… But de facto — in fact — for us it turned into a war after the collective West more and more directly increases the level of its involvement in conflict.

He urged not to compare his use of the word “war” with what participants in the anti-SVO protests mean by it.

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