An opposition Russian politician says he is pressing charges against President Vladimir Putin for using the word "war" this week to reference Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
The term has been forbidden almost since the start of the attack, with penalties meted out for those who don't use the preferred phrase: "special military operation."
"He called the war a 'war,'" tweeted St Petersburg lawmaker Nikita Yuferev late on Thursday. Thousands of people have faced punishment in Russia this year for doing just that.
Yuferev said Putin's use of the word discredited the army, also a punishable offence.
Speaking at an impromptu press conference on Thursday, Putin said: "Our goal is not to spin the flywheel of military conflict but, on the contrary, to end this war."
It was the first time since the invasion began that Putin used the word.
Yuferev said he has filed complaints to prosecutors and the Interior Ministry. However, his chances of success are slim. Multiple people with close ties to the Kremlin have used the word without facing any legal ramifications. Even when a journalist for RT demanded that Ukrainian children be burned and drowned, the media regulator found that there was no punishable conduct.
Yuferev had to pay a fine in September for discrediting the army after he pushed a motion in the legislature to have Putin charged with treason for starting the war in Ukraine.
