On 24 February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a special military operation in Ukraine.
Putin thought he would be welcomed with open arms, not bullets.
The first few days were his “special military operation“, but it has been a war for over a year now.
Excerpts from a Russian TASS news release.
- “He said Moscow had no plans for an occupation of Ukrainian territories.”
- “The sole purpose is the country’s demilitarization and denazification.”
- “The Russian Defense Ministry says its forces are not attacking cities.”
- “Their focus is entirely on military infrastructures.”
- “The civilian population is not in danger.”
Retired Colonel Vladimir Kvachkov, (Russian former Spetsnaz colonel and military intelligence officer), proposes that the goals of a “special military operation” are achieved through a more direct approach, with the strategic aim being accomplished by a single decisive operation conducted by a combined arms formation.
We normally think of a war as being something like one country invading another with both air and land attacks, just like the Nazis and the Russians did against Poland in World War II.
The Russian use of the phrase “special military operation” appears to be the same meaning as “war”.
However, as Putin expected it to be a single strike, and ending in just a few days, perhaps the term “special military operation” was right at that time.
But it became a war when Ukraine unexpectedly fought back.
Putin did not really want a war, but Ukraine didn’t want to be invaded.
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