Kremlin responds to rumors of change in status of Ukrainian military operation — RT Russia and the former Soviet Union
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There has not yet been a decision on the switch to an anti-terrorist campaign, according to Dmitry Peskov
Moscow denied rumors that the military operation in Ukraine would be reclassified as an anti-terrorist campaign, following the attack on kyiv on the Crimean bridge.
Asked about the supposed change, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov replied: « Currently, no decision has been made in this regard. » Earlier, he said the decision to designate the Russian campaign in Ukraine as a counter-terrorism operation could only be made by President Vladimir Putin.
Peskov also said no decision has been made on the introduction of martial law in Russian regions that have been targeted by Ukrainian strikes in recent weeks.
Moscow’s campaign in Ukraine is officially designated as a « special military operation ». A “counter-terrorism operation” (OTC) is, however, a whole other matter in legal terms – it is intended to “discover and prevent” an act of terrorism, minimize its effectiveness and ultimately eliminate any threat to the population. A CTO also allows the government to call on more people to participate, including military, national guard, police, emergency responders and others.
The spokesman’s comments come after Putin declared the recent attack on the Crimean Bridge, which connects mainland Russia to the Crimean Peninsula, an act of terrorism perpetrated by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU).
“The kyiv regime has been using terrorist methods for a very long time,” the president said on Monday, citing as examples the assassinations of public figures and the indiscriminate bombardment of Donbass cities and the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant.
“De facto, the kyiv regime has put itself on an equal footing with international terrorist groups, the most heinous of them. Leaving such crimes unaddressed has become impossible,” he said, before confirming that Russia had attacked Ukrainian infrastructure earlier in the day.
On Monday morning, several regions of Ukraine came under heavy missile fire from Russian forces, with at least 11 key infrastructure damaged across the country, according to Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmigal.
Putin warned that any other Ukrainian « terrorist » attacks on Russian soil will be met with a significant military response.
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