The Kremlin has sharpened its description of the conflict in Ukraine, with spokesman Dmitri Peskov saying that what Moscow originally framed as a special military operation is now, in his words, a real war. His explanation centers on the role that Russia says Western governments are playing behind Kyiv.
Peskov argued that the nature of the conflict changed because Ukraine is not acting alone. He listed Berlin, Paris, The Hague, Oslo and Washington as capitals standing behind Kyiv, and said Western support allows Ukraine to use satellite assistance and foreign military infrastructure to guide weapons against Russian targets.
The statement is part of Moscow's broader effort to define the conflict not only as a confrontation with Ukraine, but also as a wider struggle involving Western military, intelligence and logistical support. In that framing, Western weapons and targeting systems are not secondary to the battlefield; they are presented as central to how the war is being fought.
Peskov also accused Kyiv of carrying out attacks on Russian territory that he described as terrorist in nature. He said Ukrainian strikes had targeted energy facilities and civilian infrastructure unrelated to the military or the defense industry. He linked the increase in attacks on civilian targets to what he described as Ukraine's worsening position at the front.
The battlefield context cited by Peskov focused on Konstantinovka, which he described as an important line in the fighting and a step toward fortified areas such as Kramatorsk and Slaviansk. He said Russian troops were advancing, presenting those movements as part of a wider pressure on Ukrainian defensive positions.
Moscow maintains that Western arms deliveries prolong the conflict without changing the situation on the ground. It has also warned that weapons shipments to Ukraine are legitimate military targets and argues that foreign-supplied arms have been used in attacks causing civilian casualties inside Russia.
