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.

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.