The Kremlin declared for the first time on 22 March that Russia is “in a state of war” in Ukraine, marking a significant escalation in its official rhetoric from previously calling it a “special military operation” as the all-out war enters its third year, AFP reports.

Previously, Russia has labeled its aggression in Ukraine as a “special military operation,” prohibiting media from using the term “war” and punishing those who describe the conflict as such.

“We are in a state of war. Yes, it started as a special military operation, but as soon as this bunch was formed there, when the collective West became a participant on Ukraine’s side, for us it already became a war,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview, adding, “De jure it is a special military operation. But de facto it has turned into a war.”