Etymology

special military operation

Today it means: A military campaign resembling a war; especially the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Full definition →

Russian специа́льная вое́нная опера́ция
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The story

  1. Russian · calque ofспециа́льная вое́нная опера́ция
  2. English todayspecial military operation

2022, 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, when he said he had "decided to launch a special military operation."

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.