Russia just gave up on the biggest lie it tells itself

• Russia has clung to the term "special military operation" to describe its invasion of Ukraine.
• But a Kremlin spokesperson said Friday that "we are in a state of war," blaming the West.
• Putin signed a law effectively criminalizing calling the attack on Ukraine a "war" or "invasion."

Russia is finally calling its invasion of Ukraine a "war" after spending more than two years describing it euphemistically as a "special military operation."

The change became clear on Friday when Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesperson, spoke with the Russian publication Arguments and Facts.

"We are in a state of war," Peskov said. "Yes, it started out as a special military operation, but as soon as this group was formed, when the collective West became a participant in this on the side of Ukraine, it became a war for us."

According to Reuters, he added : "Everyone should understand this, for their internal motivation."

The phrase "special military operation" is how Russian officials have overwhelmingly referred to Russia's full-scale invasion since it was launched in February 2022.

But there have been some notable slips.

Russian President Vladimir Putin called it a "war" in December 2022 , prompting one lawmaker to call for action against him because of a law Putin put in place that effectively criminalized any reference to it being a "war" or "invasion."

A US official told CNN that they believed Putin's remark was a mistake, a slip of the tongue.

Peskov's remarks appear deliberate.

Experts had said that Russia's insistence on describing it as a "special military operation" was part of an effort to convince those back home that they were not at war .

According to Western intelligence, Russia has tried to conceal the realities of the conflict from its general public .

Russia has also sought to crush any domestic opposition to the war by punishing those who protest or criticize it.