Special military operation explained

"Special military operation" (also "special operation", and abbreviated as "SMO" or "SVO", or Russian: спецопера́ция|translit=spetsoperatsiya, Ukrainian: спецопера́ція) is an official term used by the Russian government and pro-Russian sources to denote the Russian invasion of Ukraine.^{[1] [2] [3] [4]} It is widely considered to be a euphemism created to minimize and obfuscate the true nature of the full-fledged war started by Russia, and to claim Russian victory in the operation no matter the results.^{[5] [6] [7] [8]}

The expression appears prominently in the public address by President of Russia Vladimir Putin titled "On conducting a special military operation", which the Russian leader released on 24 February 2022.

The term "special military operation" has also been widely used in Ukrainian media in specific contexts, generally written in scare quotes, which highlight the psychologically artificial nature of the expression. Thus, the expression becomes applied in the context of describing the Russian government's actions negatively.^[5]

History

See main article: Propaganda in Russia, Russian disinformation and Censorship in the Russian Federation.

The use of euphemisms to describe military activities was common in the Soviet Union and in the Russian Federation after the collapse of communist rule prior to the invasion of Ukraine; this includes:

• Soviet invasion of Poland (1939) as "liberation campaign of the Red Army",^[9] then subsequently "combat operations during the reunification of the USSR, Western Ukraine and Western Belarus"^[10]
• Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia (1968) as "friendly assistance to the fraternal people of Czechoslovakia"^[11] (not officially considered a military operation by Russia as of 2018)^[12]
• Soviet–Afghan War (1979–1989); at first officially named "the introduction of a limited contingent of Soviet troops into Afghanistan", then later called "combat operations in Afghanistan"
• First Chechen War (1994–1996) as the "operation on the restoration of the constitutional order in Chechnya",^[13] and then afterwards as "an armed conflict in the Chechen Republic and in the adjacent territories of the Russian Federation, assigned to the zone of armed conflict"
• Second Chechen War (1999–2009) being described as part of a "counter-terrorist operation on the territory of the North Caucasus region"
• Russo-Georgian War (2008) as a "special peace enforcement operation" for "ensuring the security and protection of citizens of the Russian Federation living in the territories of the Republic of South Ossetia and the Republic of Abkhazia"
• In 2014 Little green men, masked soldiers of the Russian Federation who appeared during the Russo-Ukrainian War carrying weapons and equipment, but wearing unmarked green army uniforms and called "polite people" in Russian media.^[14]
• In a 24 February 2022 television appearance Vladimir Putin spoke On conducting a special military operation. As usual since the middle 20th century, the two governments did not formally declare war.

In the broader context of international relations, when evaluating the histories of the continents of Africa and North America, the specific labels of the Biafran War as a "police action" and as well as the Korean War as a "police action" have attracted attention over the past several decades.

Usage

According to some observers, such as Russian journalist, the purpose of this terminology is mainly to create a perception that war is more benign than it actually is, by softening the wording in official reports and in the media.^[15]

Applications in Russian media

See also: Russian information war against Ukraine.

In Russian propaganda, the term "special military operation" is the main designation for aggression against Ukraine and is used to replace the definition of "war", which the Russian authorities and state media carefully avoided.^[16] On 24 February 2022, 6 hours after the start of the invasion of Russian troops into Ukraine, the Russian government tightened censorship by officially requiring the media to use only materials provided by Russian government sources. Subsequently, under pressure from the authorities, many organizations left the country or were closed. The Russian authorities blocked access to a number of Internet resources that refused to comply with the requirements.^[17]

In early November 2022, the "rule" was first violated by TV presenter Vladimir Solovyov during a radio broadcast; later on, the events in Ukraine were publicly called "war" by Vladimir Putin, Sergey Lavrov and Margarita Simonyan.^[18] In general, Russian authorities and media have tried to avoid the term "war" in the context of Ukraine, instead using it in terms like "gas war" or "information war". In March 2024, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that the invasion was a "de jure a special military operation" which, after foreign countries began delivering military aid to Ukraine, devolved into a "de facto war" against the "collective West".^[19]

Applications in other media

Certain internationally distributed news agencies, such as Al Jazeera English (AJE), have also used the term in instances with quotation marks applied and details provided about the war's conduct. For example, a March 2022 report by AJE stated that the terminology of having a "'special military operation' should be used to describe Moscow’s assault on Ukraine" according to Russian officials because "the Kremlin has been working hard to promote its version of events in the face of widespread indignation and an anti-war movement at home".^[20]

On 20 September 2023, the Permanent Representative of Russia to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzya accused the Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama, who was serving as the council president, of turning a council meeting into "a one-man stand-up show" by allowing an appearance by President of Ukraine Volodomyr Zelenskyy. To which Rama replied "this is not a special operation by the Albanian presidency" adding "There is a solution for this. If you agree, you stop the war and President Zelenskyy will not take the floor."^{[21] [22] [23]}

In colloquial speech

Social anthropologist noted that as of September 2022, the abbreviation "SVO" was more commonly used instead of "special operation". According to Arkhipova, this is due to the length of the full term, which is inconvenient in speech, and the concealment of the essence of the term in the abbreviation.^[24]

Meaning and interpretation

Strictly speaking, a "special operation" (as defined by organizations like NATO) is a military term for a task that requires specially trained units for an unconventional operation.^[25] However, the meaning of the Russian "Special military operation" in Ukraine is different.^[26] This ambiguity was used to hide and distort the true meaning of what an "SVO" would entail,^[27] and has been described as an example of "doublespeak" and "doublethink".^[28]

Konstantin Gorobets, an associate professor at the University of Groningen, argued that, unlike "war", the term "special military operation" positioned Ukraine as a colony of Russia, denies it equal standing as a sovereign state, and uses the "language of policing". Gorobets says that the implication of the term is imperialistic, "because it assumes that Russia is using force within its own domain, of which Ukraine [in their view] is but a part."

In popular culture

Due to its nature as an overt euphemism, the term has become an Internet meme that satirizes Russian propaganda.^[29] At the end of 2022, the euphemism won in the nomination "Expression of the Year" of Russia's "Word of the Year" competition (with the Russian word for war being the overall winner). It was also selected as the 2022 Euphemism of the Year by the American Dialect Society.

The semi-official symbol of the term is the Latin letter "Z".^[30]

See also

Analogous euphemisms from other countries

The practice of using euphemisms in violent conflict is also used within other nations:

• The Biafran War as a "police action"
• The Korean War as a "police action"
• U.S. President Lyndon Johnson called the growing involvement in the Vietnam War "limited military action"
• "Daitōa Seisen" (Japanese: 大東亜聖戦|translation=Greater East Asian Holy War) and "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere", two euphemisms used by the government of the Empire of Japan during the Pacific War and the .
  • (Japanese: 支那事変|translation=China Incident), a euphemism used by the government during the Second Sino-Japanese War.
• The Turkish invasion of Cyprus is often referred to by the Turkish and their supporters with the words "peace operation", "holiday" and "intervention" as euphemisms.
• Argentina called the 1982 invasion of the Falkland Islands, on which the country intended to recover the islands that had been invaded by the UK in 1833, Operation Rosario.
• The USA referred to the United States invasion of Afghanistan as Operation Enduring Freedom. In the 2003 Invasion of Iraq they used the name Operation Iraqi Freedom. To bomb Libya, NATO used the expression Operation Unified Protector.

Related topics

• Credibility gap – a term used to describe U.S. government dishonesty about the Vietnam War
• Disinformation - a process of media influence
  • • La guerre sans nom – "the war without a name"; what the Algerian War was called in France as it was occurring

Notes

1. Web site: 2 March 2022 . Do not call Ukraine invasion a 'war', Russia tells media, schools . https://web.archive.org/web/20230731123354/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/2/do-not-call-ukraine-invasion-a-war-russia-tells-media-schools . 31 July 2023 . Al Jazeera.
2. News: Abdul . Geneva . 2023-03-13 . Russia-Ukraine war: Xi to visit Russia as early as next week; Moscow says it could agree to shorter Black Sea grain deal – as it happened . . 2023-04-02 . “Special military operation” has been Russia’s preferred term for the invasion of Ukraine which it launched on 24 February 2022.
3. Web site: Russia: New school history books seek to justify Ukraine war. en. Marina Konstantinova. Deutsche Welle. 2023-11-08. 2024-01-01. "Special military operation" is the term the Kremlin uses to describe its war against Ukraine.
4. Web site: Zelenskyy speaks of war, Putin makes passing reference in contrasting New Year speeches. en. CNBC. 2024-01-01. 2024-01-01. This year, he called Russia’s soldiers “our heroes,” but did not mention Ukraine by name and did not refer to the “special military operation” - his term for the war his invasion unleashed in February 2022.
5. Spišiaková . Mária . Language and politics. On the border between linguistics and political science VII. . Shumeiko . Natalia . Political Euphemisms and Neologisms in Online Media Content: Amid the War in Ukraine . . 2022 . 9788022549875 . 372–388 . sk . https://web.archive.org/web/20230605041005/http://conferences.euba.sk/jazykapolitika/www_write/files/2022/spisiakova_shumeiko.pdf . 5 June 2023 . dead.
6. News: Ilyushina . Mary . 22 December 2022 . Putin declares 'war' – aloud – forsaking his special euphemistic operation . https://web.archive.org/web/20221222221745/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/12/22/putin-war-ukraine-special-operation/ . 22 December 2022 . The Washington Post.
7. Web site: Faulconbridge . Guy . 8 June 2023 . In Russia, the talk is of 'war' - even from Putin . https://web.archive.org/web/20230725073730/https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-talk-is-war-even-putin-2023-06-08/ . 25 July 2023 . Reuters.
8. Web site: Pifer . Steven . 10 March 2022 . Russia vs. Ukraine: How does this end? . https://web.archive.org/web/20220317162356/https://cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/news/russia-vs-ukraine-how-does-end . 17 March 2022 . . On February 24, Vladimir Putin launched the Russian military on what he termed a 'special military operation,' his euphemism for a massive invasion of Ukraine..
9. Web site: Moorhouse . Roger . 7 October 2022 . Roger Moorhouse on the historical echoes of the war in Ukraine . https://web.archive.org/web/20230414143216/https://www.historyextra.com/period/21st-century/ukraine-conflict-how-echoes-parallels-ww2/ . 14 April 2023 . HistoryExtra.
10. Web site: Федеральный закон от 12.01.1995 N 5-ФЗ (ред. от 28.04.2023) "О ветеранах", Статья 3. Ветераны боевых действий . Federal Law No. 5-FZ of 12 January 1995 (as amended on April 28, 2023) "On Veterans", Article 3. Veterans of combat operations . https://web.archive.org/web/20230714132835/https://www.consultant.ru/document/cons_doc_LAW_5490/815edc9896435be7118ac0d2bfccfcdc4caea94a/ . 14 July 2023 . . ru.
11. Web site: Levontina . Irina . Shmeleva . Elena . 14 March 2023 . Зэтники и нетвойняшки. Каким стал специальный военный русский язык . Zetniks and non-warriors. What has become a special military Russian language . https://web.archive.org/web/20230503144530/https://carnegieendowment.org/politika/89259 . 3 May 2023 . 2022-04-02 . . ru .
12. Web site: Volkova . Olga . 17 January 2018 . Участникам операции в Чехословакии не присвоят статус ветеранов боевых действий . Participants of the operation in Czechoslovakia will not be given the status of combat veterans . https://web.archive.org/web/20180909035527/https://www.pnp.ru/politics/uchastnikam-operacii-v-chekhoslovakii-ne-prisvoyat-status-veteranov-boevykh-deystviy.html . 9 September 2018 . . ru.
13. Web site: Gorobets . Kostia . 24 May 2022 . Russian "Special Military Operation" and the Language of Empire . https://web.archive.org/web/20230721170053/http://opiniojuris.org/2022/05/24/russian-special-military-operation-and-the-language-of-empire/ . 21 July 2023 . Opinio Juris.
14. Web site: Schreck. Carl . From 'Not Us' To 'Why Hide It?': How Russia Denied Its Crimea Invasion, Then Admitted It. rferl.org. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 26 February 2019. 30 October 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191030093535/https://www.rferl.org/a/from-not-us-to-why-hide-it-how-russia-denied-its-crimea-invasion-then-admitted-it/29791806.html. 30 October 2019. live.
15. Web site: Turkova . Ksenia . 19 May 2023 . Очень странные слова . Very strange words . .
16. Web site: Turkova . Ksenia . 6 December 2022 . Война — главное слово года . War — the word of the year . https://web.archive.org/web/20230206035321/https://www.golosameriki.com/a/war-word-of-the-year-2022/6864969.html . 6 February 2023 . . ru.
17. Alyukov . Maxim . Kunilovskaya . Maria . Semenov . Andrei . August 2022 . Putin's Second Front: no peace for the wicked . Russian Election Monitor.
18. Web site: Thomas Kika . 2023-01-29 . Russian state TV admits "war" and "special military operation" are the same . 2023-04-02 . . en.
19. News: 2024-03-22 . 'We are at war': Putin spokesman says invasion of Ukraine has grown beyond 'special military operation' . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240322101217/https://meduza.io/en/news/2024/03/22/we-are-at-war-putin-spokesman-says-invasion-of-ukraine-has-grown-beyond-special-military-operation . 2024-03-22 . 2024-03-22 . Meduza.
20. News: Al Jazeera English. Do not call Ukraine invasion a 'war', Russia tells media, schools. 2 March 2022. 17 February 2024.
21. News: Baczynska . Gabriela . 20 September 2023 . 'Stop the war' and Zelenskiy need not speak, UN Security Council chair tells Russia . . en . 13 March 2024 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231002002329/https://www.reuters.com/world/stop-war-zelenskiy-wont-speak-un-security-council-chair-tells-russia-2023-09-20/ . 2 October 2023.
22. News: . 21 September 2023 . 'Stop the war': Russia called out at UN Security Council meeting . . en . 13 March 2024 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230922030345/https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2265350211731 . 22 September 2023.
23. News: Lederer . Edith M . Peltz . Jennifer . 20 September 2023 . Ukraine's president, at Security Council, lashes out at Russia but avoids face-to-face encounter . . en . 13 March 2024 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230927003110/https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/ukraine-s-president-at-security-council-lashes-out-at-russia-but-avoids-face-to-face-encounter-1.6569634 . 27 September 2023.
24. Web site: Arkhipova . Alexandra . 19 September 2022 . «Произошел хлопок в доме, возможен отрицательный рост жильцов». Как россияне реагируют на новояз и цензуру. . "There was a clap in the house, negative growth of residents is possible." How Russians react to newspeak and censorship. . https://web.archive.org/web/20230309175009/https://paperpaper.ru/proizoshel-hlopok-v-dome-vozmozhen-otr/ . 9 March 2023 . . ru.
25. North Atlantic Treaty Organization . 13 December 2013 . Allied Joint Doctrine for Special Operations . NATO Standard Allied Joint Publication . Brussels . NATO Standardization Agency . AJP-3.5 . Edition A, Version 1 . 1.
26. Web site: McDermott . Roger N . . Bartles . Charles K. . 6 September 2022 . Defining the "Special Military Operation" . https://web.archive.org/web/20220906144011/https://www.ndc.nato.int/research/research.php?icode=777 . 6 September 2022 . NATO Defense College . en.
27. News: Palveleva . Lilya . 1 March 2022 . Эвфемизмы войны. Как власть манипулирует сознанием людей . Euphemisms of war. How government manipulates people's minds . . ru.
28. Web site: 2022-02-24 . What can we do to avoid contributing to the 'fog of war' online during Russia's invasion of Ukraine? . 2023-04-11 . Center for an Informed Public . en-US.
29. Book: Chudá, Lucia . Language and politics. On the border between linguistics and political science . 30 November 2022 . EKONÓM . 9788022549875 . VII . . sk . Precedentné výrazy V. Putina v mémoch a ich funkcia v politickom diskurze . Vladimir Putin's Precedent Expressions in Memes and Their Function in Political Discourse.
30. Web site: 15 March 2022 . Буква Z — официальный (и зловещий) символ российского вторжения в Украину. Мы попытались выяснить, кто это придумал, — и вот что из этого получилось . The letter Z is the official (and ominous) symbol of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We tried to find out who came up with it - and here's what came of it . https://web.archive.org/web/20230807060944/https://meduza.io/feature/2022/03/15/bukva-z-ofitsialnyy-i-zloveschiy-simvol-rossiyskogo-vtorzheniya-v-ukrainu-my-popytalis-vyyasnit-kto-eto-pridumal-i-vot-chto-iz-etogo-poluchilos . 7 August 2023 . . ru.

References

1. Web site: 2 March 2022 . Do not call Ukraine invasion a 'war', Russia tells media, schools . https://web.archive.org/web/20230731123354/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/2/do-not-call-ukraine-invasion-a-war-russia-tells-media-schools . 31 July 2023 . Al Jazeera.
2. News: Abdul . Geneva . 2023-03-13 . Russia-Ukraine war: Xi to visit Russia as early as next week; Moscow says it could agree to shorter Black Sea grain deal – as it happened . . 2023-04-02 . “Special military operation” has been Russia’s preferred term for the invasion of Ukraine which it launched on 24 February 2022.
3. Web site: Russia: New school history books seek to justify Ukraine war. en. Marina Konstantinova. Deutsche Welle. 2023-11-08. 2024-01-01. "Special military operation" is the term the Kremlin uses to describe its war against Ukraine.
4. Web site: Zelenskyy speaks of war, Putin makes passing reference in contrasting New Year speeches. en. CNBC. 2024-01-01. 2024-01-01. This year, he called Russia’s soldiers “our heroes,” but did not mention Ukraine by name and did not refer to the “special military operation” - his term for the war his invasion unleashed in February 2022.
5. Spišiaková . Mária . Language and politics. On the border between linguistics and political science VII. . Shumeiko . Natalia . Political Euphemisms and Neologisms in Online Media Content: Amid the War in Ukraine . . 2022 . 9788022549875 . 372–388 . sk . https://web.archive.org/web/20230605041005/http://conferences.euba.sk/jazykapolitika/www_write/files/2022/spisiakova_shumeiko.pdf . 5 June 2023 . dead.
6. News: Ilyushina . Mary . 22 December 2022 . Putin declares 'war' – aloud – forsaking his special euphemistic operation . https://web.archive.org/web/20221222221745/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/12/22/putin-war-ukraine-special-operation/ . 22 December 2022 . The Washington Post.
7. Web site: Faulconbridge . Guy . 8 June 2023 . In Russia, the talk is of 'war' - even from Putin . https://web.archive.org/web/20230725073730/https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-talk-is-war-even-putin-2023-06-08/ . 25 July 2023 . Reuters.
8. Web site: Pifer . Steven . 10 March 2022 . Russia vs. Ukraine: How does this end? . https://web.archive.org/web/20220317162356/https://cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/news/russia-vs-ukraine-how-does-end . 17 March 2022 . . On February 24, Vladimir Putin launched the Russian military on what he termed a 'special military operation,' his euphemism for a massive invasion of Ukraine..
9. Web site: Moorhouse . Roger . 7 October 2022 . Roger Moorhouse on the historical echoes of the war in Ukraine . https://web.archive.org/web/20230414143216/https://www.historyextra.com/period/21st-century/ukraine-conflict-how-echoes-parallels-ww2/ . 14 April 2023 . HistoryExtra.
10. Web site: Федеральный закон от 12.01.1995 N 5-ФЗ (ред. от 28.04.2023) "О ветеранах", Статья 3. Ветераны боевых действий . Federal Law No. 5-FZ of 12 January 1995 (as amended on April 28, 2023) "On Veterans", Article 3. Veterans of combat operations . https://web.archive.org/web/20230714132835/https://www.consultant.ru/document/cons_doc_LAW_5490/815edc9896435be7118ac0d2bfccfcdc4caea94a/ . 14 July 2023 . . ru.
11. Web site: Levontina . Irina . Shmeleva . Elena . 14 March 2023 . Зэтники и нетвойняшки. Каким стал специальный военный русский язык . Zetniks and non-warriors. What has become a special military Russian language . https://web.archive.org/web/20230503144530/https://carnegieendowment.org/politika/89259 . 3 May 2023 . 2022-04-02 . . ru .
12. Web site: Volkova . Olga . 17 January 2018 . Участникам операции в Чехословакии не присвоят статус ветеранов боевых действий . Participants of the operation in Czechoslovakia will not be given the status of combat veterans . https://web.archive.org/web/20180909035527/https://www.pnp.ru/politics/uchastnikam-operacii-v-chekhoslovakii-ne-prisvoyat-status-veteranov-boevykh-deystviy.html . 9 September 2018 . . ru.
13. Web site: Gorobets . Kostia . 24 May 2022 . Russian "Special Military Operation" and the Language of Empire . https://web.archive.org/web/20230721170053/http://opiniojuris.org/2022/05/24/russian-special-military-operation-and-the-language-of-empire/ . 21 July 2023 . Opinio Juris.
14. Web site: Schreck. Carl . From 'Not Us' To 'Why Hide It?': How Russia Denied Its Crimea Invasion, Then Admitted It. rferl.org. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 26 February 2019. 30 October 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191030093535/https://www.rferl.org/a/from-not-us-to-why-hide-it-how-russia-denied-its-crimea-invasion-then-admitted-it/29791806.html. 30 October 2019. live.
15. Web site: Turkova . Ksenia . 19 May 2023 . Очень странные слова . Very strange words . .
16. Web site: Turkova . Ksenia . 6 December 2022 . Война — главное слово года . War — the word of the year . https://web.archive.org/web/20230206035321/https://www.golosameriki.com/a/war-word-of-the-year-2022/6864969.html . 6 February 2023 . . ru.
17. Alyukov . Maxim . Kunilovskaya . Maria . Semenov . Andrei . August 2022 . Putin's Second Front: no peace for the wicked . Russian Election Monitor.
18. Web site: Thomas Kika . 2023-01-29 . Russian state TV admits "war" and "special military operation" are the same . 2023-04-02 . . en.
19. News: 2024-03-22 . 'We are at war': Putin spokesman says invasion of Ukraine has grown beyond 'special military operation' . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240322101217/https://meduza.io/en/news/2024/03/22/we-are-at-war-putin-spokesman-says-invasion-of-ukraine-has-grown-beyond-special-military-operation . 2024-03-22 . 2024-03-22 . Meduza.
20. News: Al Jazeera English. Do not call Ukraine invasion a 'war', Russia tells media, schools. 2 March 2022. 17 February 2024.
21. News: Baczynska . Gabriela . 20 September 2023 . 'Stop the war' and Zelenskiy need not speak, UN Security Council chair tells Russia . . en . 13 March 2024 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231002002329/https://www.reuters.com/world/stop-war-zelenskiy-wont-speak-un-security-council-chair-tells-russia-2023-09-20/ . 2 October 2023.
22. News: . 21 September 2023 . 'Stop the war': Russia called out at UN Security Council meeting . . en . 13 March 2024 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230922030345/https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2265350211731 . 22 September 2023.
23. News: Lederer . Edith M . Peltz . Jennifer . 20 September 2023 . Ukraine's president, at Security Council, lashes out at Russia but avoids face-to-face encounter . . en . 13 March 2024 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230927003110/https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/ukraine-s-president-at-security-council-lashes-out-at-russia-but-avoids-face-to-face-encounter-1.6569634 . 27 September 2023.
24. Web site: Arkhipova . Alexandra . 19 September 2022 . «Произошел хлопок в доме, возможен отрицательный рост жильцов». Как россияне реагируют на новояз и цензуру. . "There was a clap in the house, negative growth of residents is possible." How Russians react to newspeak and censorship. . https://web.archive.org/web/20230309175009/https://paperpaper.ru/proizoshel-hlopok-v-dome-vozmozhen-otr/ . 9 March 2023 . . ru.
25. North Atlantic Treaty Organization . 13 December 2013 . Allied Joint Doctrine for Special Operations . NATO Standard Allied Joint Publication . Brussels . NATO Standardization Agency . AJP-3.5 . Edition A, Version 1 . 1.
26. Web site: McDermott . Roger N . . Bartles . Charles K. . 6 September 2022 . Defining the "Special Military Operation" . https://web.archive.org/web/20220906144011/https://www.ndc.nato.int/research/research.php?icode=777 . 6 September 2022 . NATO Defense College . en.
27. News: Palveleva . Lilya . 1 March 2022 . Эвфемизмы войны. Как власть манипулирует сознанием людей . Euphemisms of war. How government manipulates people's minds . . ru.
28. Web site: 2022-02-24 . What can we do to avoid contributing to the 'fog of war' online during Russia's invasion of Ukraine? . 2023-04-11 . Center for an Informed Public . en-US.
29. Book: Chudá, Lucia . Language and politics. On the border between linguistics and political science . 30 November 2022 . EKONÓM . 9788022549875 . VII . . sk . Precedentné výrazy V. Putina v mémoch a ich funkcia v politickom diskurze . Vladimir Putin's Precedent Expressions in Memes and Their Function in Political Discourse.
30. Web site: 15 March 2022 . Буква Z — официальный (и зловещий) символ российского вторжения в Украину. Мы попытались выяснить, кто это придумал, — и вот что из этого получилось . The letter Z is the official (and ominous) symbol of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We tried to find out who came up with it - and here's what came of it . https://web.archive.org/web/20230807060944/https://meduza.io/feature/2022/03/15/bukva-z-ofitsialnyy-i-zloveschiy-simvol-rossiyskogo-vtorzheniya-v-ukrainu-my-popytalis-vyyasnit-kto-eto-pridumal-i-vot-chto-iz-etogo-poluchilos . 7 August 2023 . . ru.

Further reading

• Adisti . Stefani Ernes . Charima . Yunia Aqlia . Cahyono . Setyo Prasiyanto . 18 December 2022 . Language and Framing In Russia-Ukraine Conflict News . The Proceedings of English Language Teaching, Literature, and Translation (ELTLT) . 11 . 1 . 9–19 . 2580-1937 . 2580-7528.
• Eldin . Ahmad Abdel Tawwab Sharaf . October 2023 . A linguistic Study of the Media War between Russia and Ukraine . Nile Valley Journal for Humanitarian, Social and Educational Studies and Research . 40 . 40 . 51–80 . 10.21608/jwadi.2023.320760 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231018025747/https://journals.ekb.eg/article_320760.html . 18 October 2023 . EKB Journal Management System . free.