# special military operation

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/special-military-operation
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

A military situation resembling a war; especially the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

## Examples

- The government calls the conflict a special military operation.
- International observers argue that the term special military operation does not accurately describe the scale of the ongoing invasion.
- Families in the region often use the phrase special military operation when they want to avoid legal trouble with the local authorities for discussing the war.
- While the state media consistently refers to the campaign as a special military operation, global leaders maintain that the actions constitute a full-scale war.

## Origin

Calque of Russian специа́льная вое́нная опера́ция (speciálʹnaja vojénnaja operácija), a phrase used by Vladimir Putin upon launching an attack on Ukraine on 24 February 2022: In this regard, in accordance with Article 51 of Part 7 of the UN Charter, with the approval of the Federation Council of Russia and in pursuance of the treaties of friendship and mutual assistance ratified by the Duma on 22 February with the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic, I decided to launch a special military operation.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.