Russia admitted two years into its invasion of Ukraine on Friday that it was “in a state of war,” as it launched a massive wave of missile and drone attacks on its neighbour’s territory.
Russia fired almost 90 missiles and more than 60 Iranian-designed kamikaze drones, damaging dozens of energy facilities including power stations, in what Ukrainian officials said was an attempt to cripple the country’s electricity and heating supply.
Russia said the wave of strikes was retaliation for a series of Ukrainian attacks on its border regions in recent weeks.
At least five people were killed and more than 20 injured, according to Ukraine’s interior ministry and local officials.
“We are in a state of war,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview to a pro-Kremlin newspaper, published Friday.
The admission marks an escalation in official language used to describe the conflict, which the Kremlin initially referred to as a “special military operation”.
“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,” Peskov said.
“De jure (legally) it is a special military operation. But de facto it has turned into a war,” he added.
Moscow often accuses the West of direct participation in the conflict by supplying Ukraine with weapons.
Calling Friday’s strikes “retaliation” for recent Ukrainian attacks, Moscow’s defence ministry said it had targeted Ukraine’s “energy sites, military-industrial complex, railway hubs and arsenals.”
“All of the objectives of the massive strike were achieved,” it said.
