3.1 Its not a war, it’s a “special military operation”?

To start with, what is a war? One definition says: “A state of armed conflict between different countries or different groups within a country” (Oxford Languages). A definition most people can probably agree on.

So what’s happening in Ukraine? In Ukraine the armed forces of Russia is entering into the territory of the country of Ukraine on the ground, in the air and from the sea. They are facing the armed forces of Ukraine, defending the Ukrainian territory. Tens of thousands of soldiers are being deployed in Ukraine, and tens of thousands of people are being killed. No matter what Russia calls it, it’s per definition a war going on in Ukraine, a war where Russia is the aggressor and Ukraine is the defender. And nothing else.