"Special military operation"[a] (also "special operation", and abbreviated as "SMO" or "SVO", or Russian: спецопера́ция, romanized: 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 and unprovoked war of aggression started by Russia, and to claim Russian victory no matter the results.[5][6][7][8] Russia has banned even the use of the word "war" (and/or "assault" or "invasion"), to refer to its invasion of Ukraine,[9] and has vigorously suppressed any use of that language -- as well as any symbolic opposition to the war, including even holding up blank pieces of paper.[10][11]
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
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",[b][12] then subsequently "combat operations during the reunification of the USSR, Western Ukraine and Western Belarus"[c][13]
- Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia (1968) as "friendly assistance to the fraternal people of Czechoslovakia"[d][14] (not officially considered a military operation by Russia as of 2018)[13][15]
- Soviet–Afghan War (1979–1989); at first officially named "the introduction of a limited contingent of Soviet troops into Afghanistan",[e][14] then later called "combat operations in Afghanistan"[f][13]
- First Chechen War (1994–1996) as the "operation on the restoration of the constitutional order in Chechnya",[g][16] 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"[h][13]
- Second Chechen War (1999–2009) being described as part of a "counter-terrorist operation on the territory of the North Caucasus region"[i][13][16]
- Russo-Georgian War (2008) as a "special peace enforcement operation"[j] 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"[16][14][13]
- 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.[17]
- 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 Ksenia Turkova, 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.[14][18]
Applications in Russian media
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][19] 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.[20]
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,[6] Sergey Lavrov and Margarita Simonyan.[21] 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".[20] 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".[22]
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".[23]
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."[24][25][26]
In colloquial speech
Social anthropologist Aleksandra Arkhipova 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.[27]
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.[28][14] However, the meaning of the Russian "Special military operation" in Ukraine is different.[29] This ambiguity was used to hide and distort the true meaning of what an "SVO" would entail,[30] and has been described as an example of "doublespeak" and "doublethink".[16][31]
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."[16]
In popular culture
Due to its nature as an overt euphemism, the term has become an Internet meme that satirizes Russian propaganda.[32] 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 (война) being the overall winner).[14][19] 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".[33]
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, lit. '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 Far East War.
- "Shina Jihen" (Japanese: 支那事変, lit. '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.
Analogous phrases
Related topics
- Credibility gap – a term used to describe U.S. government dishonesty about the Vietnam War
- Disinformation - a process of media influence
- Distinction without a difference – Type of logical fallacy
- Impression management – Process to attempt to influence perceptions
- La guerre sans nom – "the war without a name"; what the Algerian War was called in France as it was occurring
- Minimisation (psychology) – Type of deception
- Non-denial denial – Statement that seems to deny an accusation but does not
Notes
- ^ Russian: специа́льная вое́нная опера́ция, romanized: spetsial'naya voyennaya operatsiya; Ukrainian: спеціальна воєнна операція, romanized: spetsial'na voyenna operatsiya
- ^ Russian: освободительный поход РККА, romanized: osvoboditel'nyy pokhod RKKA, where RККА stands for the long-form of the Red Army
- ^ Russian: боевые действия при воссоединении СССР, Западной Украины и Западной Белоруссии
- ^ Russian: дружеская помощь братскому народу Чехословакии
- ^ Russian: введение ограниченного контингента советских войск в Афганистан
- ^ Russian: боевые действия в Афганистане
- ^ Russian: операция по восстановлению конституционного порядка в Чечне
- ^ Russian: вооруженный конфликт в Чеченской Республике и на прилегающих к ней территориях Российской Федерации, отнесенных к зоне вооруженного конфликта
- ^ Russian: контртеррористических операций на территории Северо-Кавказского региона
- ^ Russian: специальная операция по принуждению к миру
References
- ^ "Do not call Ukraine invasion a 'war', Russia tells media, schools". Al Jazeera. 2 March 2022. Archived from the original on 31 July 2023.
- ^ Abdul, Geneva (13 March 2023). "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". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
"Special military operation" has been Russia's preferred term for the invasion of Ukraine which it launched on 24 February 2022
- ^ Marina Konstantinova (8 November 2023). "Russia: New school history books seek to justify Ukraine war". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
"Special military operation" is the term the Kremlin uses to describe its war against Ukraine
- ^ "Zelenskyy speaks of war, Putin makes passing reference in contrasting New Year speeches". CNBC. 1 January 2024. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
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
- ^ a b Spišiaková, Mária; Shumeiko, Natalia (2022). "Language and politics. On the border between linguistics and political science VII" (PDF). Political Euphemisms and Neologisms in Online Media Content: Amid the War in Ukraine (in Slovak). University of Economics in Bratislava: 372–388. ISBN 9788022549875. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 June 2023.
- ^ a b Ilyushina, Mary (22 December 2022). "Putin declares 'war' – aloud – forsaking his special euphemistic operation". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 22 December 2022.
- ^ Faulconbridge, Guy (8 June 2023). "In Russia, the talk is of 'war' - even from Putin". Reuters. Archived from the original on 25 July 2023.
- ^ Pifer, Steven (10 March 2022). "Russia vs. Ukraine: How does this end?". Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies. Archived from the original on 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.
- ^ AFP (26 February 2022). "Russia Bans Media Outlets From Using Words 'War,' 'Invasion'". The Moscow Times. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
- ^ "Russia Takes Censorship to New Extremes, Stifling War Coverage". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
- ^ Reporter, Isabel van Brugen News (14 March 2022). "Russia Arrests Multiple People for Holding Up Blank Signs". Newsweek. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
- ^ Moorhouse, Roger (7 October 2022). "Roger Moorhouse on the historical echoes of the war in Ukraine". HistoryExtra. Archived from the original on 14 April 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f "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]. Consultant Plus (in Russian). Archived from the original on 14 July 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f 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]. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (in Russian). Archived from the original on 3 May 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
- ^ 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]. Parliamentary Newspaper (in Russian). Archived from the original on 9 September 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f Gorobets, Kostia (24 May 2022). "Russian "Special Military Operation" and the Language of Empire". Opinio Juris. Archived from the original on 21 July 2023.
- ^ Schreck, Carl (26 February 2019). "From 'Not Us' To 'Why Hide It?': How Russia Denied Its Crimea Invasion, Then Admitted It". rferl.org. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Archived from the original on 30 October 2019. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
- ^ Turkova, Ksenia (19 May 2023). "Очень странные слова" [Very strange words]. Holod (website).
- ^ a b Turkova, Ksenia (6 December 2022). "Война — главное слово года" [War — the word of the year]. Voice of America (in Russian). Archived from the original on 6 February 2023.
- ^ a b Alyukov, Maxim; Kunilovskaya, Maria; Semenov, Andrei (August 2022). "Putin's Second Front: no peace for the wicked". Russian Election Monitor.
- ^ Thomas Kika (29 January 2023). "Russian state TV admits "war" and "special military operation" are the same". Newsweek. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
- ^ "'We are at war': Putin spokesman says invasion of Ukraine has grown beyond 'special military operation'". Meduza. 22 March 2024. Archived from the original on 22 March 2024. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- ^ "Do not call Ukraine invasion a 'war', Russia tells media, schools". Al Jazeera English. 2 March 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
- ^ Baczynska, Gabriela (20 September 2023). "'Stop the war' and Zelenskiy need not speak, UN Security Council chair tells Russia". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2 October 2023. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
- ^ "'Stop the war': Russia called out at UN Security Council meeting". CBC News. 21 September 2023. Archived from the original on 22 September 2023. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
- ^ Lederer, Edith M; Peltz, Jennifer (20 September 2023). "Ukraine's president, at Security Council, lashes out at Russia but avoids face-to-face encounter". CTV News. Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
- ^ 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.]. Paper (Russian newspaper) (in Russian). Archived from the original on 9 March 2023.
- ^ North Atlantic Treaty Organization (13 December 2013). "Allied Joint Doctrine for Special Operations". NATO Standard Allied Joint Publication. AJP-3.5 (Edition A, Version 1). Brussels: NATO Standardization Agency: 1.
- ^ McDermott, Roger N .; Bartles, Charles K. (6 September 2022). "Defining the "Special Military Operation"". NATO Defense College. Archived from the original on 6 September 2022.
- ^ Palveleva, Lilya (1 March 2022). "Эвфемизмы войны. Как власть манипулирует сознанием людей" [Euphemisms of war. How government manipulates people's minds]. Radio Liberty (in Russian).
- ^ "What can we do to avoid contributing to the 'fog of war' online during Russia's invasion of Ukraine?". Center for an Informed Public. 24 February 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
- ^ Chudá, Lucia (30 November 2022). "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]. Language and politics. On the border between linguistics and political science (in Slovak) (VII ed.). Comenius University in Bratislava: EKONÓM. ISBN 9788022549875.
- ^ "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]. Meduza (in Russian). 15 March 2022. Archived from the original on 7 August 2023.
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. eISSN 2580-7528. ISSN 2580-1937.
- 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. doi:10.21608/jwadi.2023.320760. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023 – via EKB Journal Management System.