Russians resort to euphemisms when talking about Ukraine

Military jargon now par for the course even as critics of conflict turn to self-censorship

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MOSCOW Euphemisms to talk about the dead, military jargon, patriotic poems and self-censorship: The 2½ years of fighting in Ukraine have had an impact on Russian language and literature.

On Feb 24, 2022, President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" - referred to by its Russian acronym SVO.

The abbreviation has become ubiquitous in Russia - repeated by political and military officials, used on social networks, in books and on illuminated billboards by the roadside in the Russian capital Moscow.

The use of the word "war" was initially completely banned and punishable with a prison sentence.

It has reappeared in official language, even from Mr Putin, but only to describe what he says is a war instigated by Ukraine and the West against Russia.

Ms Nina Popova, a pro-government author and deputy head of the Russian Writers' Union, uses the word without batting an eyelid.

Her organisation, a propaganda tool during the Soviet era, oversaw the publication in June of an anthology of poems titled For Our Friends, which celebrates the courage of Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine.

Ms Popova recited some of the poems at a recent book fair in Red Square.